Ghost Woman
by Elysium1996
Summary: Don meets his match in exNSA decoder a'la muffin maker a pastry chef! AU fic. All chapters that were previously posted are now rewritten and betaed. Final chapter and Epilogue posted, Thank you to all my readers!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: July 10, 2007. Good news for me at least. I have found a beta who has combed through the first 8 chapters of this fic and help me fix it. As you can see based on the comments there was at least 55 chapters. All will return as they are fixed and updated. **

**Thanks to those that have read this long long fic I really appreciate it.**

**Special thanks to sororcula for betaing all the grammar, Lemonpoptart, Timespirt and donlover for their comments and content betaing over the last year. Your help is appreciated.**

**Disclaimer I do not own Numb3rs I only like to play**

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"There's nothing on them in the fingerprint database," Colby said as he sat down in his seat in the LA branch of the FBI.

"What are they, ghosts?" Megan mused.

Don rubbed his jaw, where a small purple bruise was forming, and replied, "There has to be something on them, if they work for the government. Their prints have to be on file somewhere."

Colby shrugged. "Nah, Don. It's like they don't exist."

Don looked at Megan. "Have any of them said anything?"

"No, they keep just repeating their names and that phone number."

Don sighed and stood up. "This is getting us nowhere. I'm gonna take a crack at the one named Elle. See if I can pry anything loose."

Megan snorted. "Yeah, well good luck with that. I think you are the last person she'll talk to."

Don grimaced. "Yeah, well, it's worth a shot."

Colby leaned over to Megan and said, as Don walked to the interrogation rooms, "Better him than me any day."

Don stepped into the small viewing room to observe the woman named Elle. Her eyes were closed as if she was relaxing in a spa. His eyes roamed over her appreciatively. Her curly hair reminded him of Charlie's, but put together with a well-toned body it equaled a very attractive, although dangerous, woman.

He rubbed his jaw again where she had hit him and considered that, if anything, her delicate features were deceiving; she was more than she seemed.

He walked into the interrogation room. Her eyes snapped open. They were as dark as the night sky and shot Don an icy, unfriendly look, making Don tread carefully. Don mused that her eyes were a stark contrast to her fair, creamy skin.

Don spoke up as he undid the handcuffs. "Let me get those." He noticed that her biceps were sleek and muscular, explaining why her punch had such an impact. Her clothing consisted of a short sleeved black shirt that was cut short and dark jeans that hugged her hips and legs.

He watched her bring her arms forward and begin to rub the circulation back into her wrists. She continued to glare at Don but stayed silent.

"I'm Special Agent Don Eppes. It's Elle, right? Can I get you water or something?"

The woman still refused to speak as he sat down at the metal table across from her. She stared at Don, like her eyes could bore holes through him.

Don found both her attitude and presence unsettling. Under a calm exterior, a tiny thread of alarm ran through him from being in close proximity to this woman. As a pro, he buried that down so no shadow of it carried into his voice. When he spoke, the words peppered out like a rapid fire weapon. "We ran both your prints and government ID, but we came up empty. I think you knew that would happen. What are you and the others, ghosts? How about you tell me why you were in that warehouse, armed to the teeth? Maybe if you do, we won't have to press charges against you for assaulting a federal agent."

She settled back into the chair and crossed her legs before repeating the same thing the other four suspects had said. "My name is Elle. Please call 818-555-6699." When she was done speaking she stared at her fingernails for a moment before cracking her knuckles. Elle looked at the table and began to tap her fingers on the table in a steady rhythm.

Don ground his teeth as he retorted, "Yes, we called that number. It goes straight to voicemail. Whoever that phone number belongs to hasn't returned our call yet. So again I ask, who are you? What were you doing at that warehouse?"

A tight, arrogant smile graced her lips as she leaned forward. "My name is Elle. Let me spell that for you, since I know how slow you FBI types are. E, L, L, E. My name is Elle. Please call 818-555-6699." As she completed the repetition, she relaxed back in the chair and crossed her arms in front of her as she closed her eyes once again.

Never in Don's life had he hit or wanted to hit a woman, but at this moment, he was beginning to reconsider that policy. His eyes narrowed as he reached up and touched the bruise where Elle had punched him. That arrogant smile she wore was getting on his last nerve. Hell, this whole thing was getting on his nerves. He could tell that he had poked through her facade since she had said more than the others in her group. "You leave me no choice; we're going to book you and the rest of your crew."

Don was about to put the handcuffs back on her when AD Merrick's voice came over the speaker. "Eppes."

Don lips formed a straight line as he stalked out of the room and entered the observation room. His body hummed with annoyance at being interrupted.

Merrick looked at Don and said, "Cut them loose."

Don snapped his head up. "What?"

"I said, cut them loose. I got a call back from that number. They've been cleared."

Don's jaw tightened. "Fine." He gritted his teeth and walked back into the interrogation room. "The people from your phone number FINALLY got back to us. They cleared you."

She stood up and stretched languidly like a cat. When she did that her low cut jeans gave Don a glimpse of her fit abdomen and the small black tattoo on her hip. She smirked. "Good."

She moved to walk out of the office, but stopped inches from where Don stood. He watched her eyes flick up and down before she leaned in closer. "Tough luck, Eppes." She chuckled lightly at him. "This ghost is out of here."

From their desks, Megan and Colby watched the "ghost" group leave the office.

Don joined his team as Megan gave him a look. "What's going on?"

"Merrick told me to let them go. He said the phone number cleared them."

David hung up his phone. "Hey Don, I dug a bit deeper into that number the group kept giving. It is some government prefix, but the trail ends there."

Don looked up while David was listening and caught Elle looking back at him. She caught him watching them and smirked. She mouthed the word "ghost" at him before turning her back to him to get on the elevator.

Colby groaned. "All that work down the drain now. So now what Don?"

Turning, Don growled, "Government, huh? Colby, see if we can get a tail on them."

Megan inquired with a raised eyebrow, "Do you think that is a good idea?"

Don grunted before he sat down at his desk. "No, but we've worked on that case for some time and now we're at a dead end. I want to know who they are, and how they're involved."


	2. Chapter 2

At the 'ghost' group's headquarters the man know only as the Director growled, "You have the FBI's collective panties in a wad. How in the hell did this screw up happen?" His eyes were like two hot angry orbs as he glared at the group.

Mae fearfully answered, "Our intel told us the suspects were hiding at that location and that if we moved fast, we could intercept them with the virus. The Feds showed up right when we were apprehending the suspects."

"Thanks to all the unfortunate confusion, your suspects got away and you idiots were the ones who were arrested!" the Director seethed.

Toro looked the Director squarely in the eye. "Unfortunately the hackers are still out there." He paused briefly. "We could always try to salvage this case by working with the FBI," he continued, earning himself groans of distaste from the rest of his team.

The Director glared at the team, silencing their discontent. He rubbed his chin in thought.

BJ sneered, "You're not seriously thinking about it, sir? How are we going to maintain our level of secrecy working with them?"

Elle ventured, thoughtfully, "I think it may be a plausible idea."

"What's your game, Elle? You don't readily agree to things that easy." Toro gave her a wary look.

She turned her piercing eyes on him. "No game, Toro. We need to get these guys. If that means I have to deal with the Feds again, so be it. Can't be any worse than having to deal with you."

He snorted at her last comment. "So what do you think?" he asked the Director. "Even Elle thinks it's a good idea."

Mario said dryly, "She just thinks it's a good idea 'cause she wants to get even with that FBI agent."

"Oh shut up, Mario," Elle snarled.

The Director swung his gaze at Elle. "What's he talking about?"

All five members of team went deathly silent.

"Speak up, someone, now!" the Director bellowed.

"Aw, hell." Mario looked at Elle nervously, but answered the Director, "When the Feds came in they caught us all off guard, and her and some Fed named Eppes got into it. Well, actually, she did all of it. She clocked him good. I think he was pissed at her for hitting him and with his investigation going down the tubes, 'cause he was a bit rough cuffing her."

The Director looked at her and saw the smirk on her face. His eyes narrowed at her.

Elle immediately was put on the defensive. "Well, if I knew he was a Fed, I wouldn't have hit him so hard, but it happened so fast! I had my gun on the suspect, when I felt this hand on my shoulder, with his voice in my ear telling me to drop my weapon."

"What I want to know is how someone got the drop on my best team member and got close enough to touch her." The Director's face turned beet red as he bellowed.

Elle snarled back, "You're not the only one who wants to know how." She got up and stalked out of the room.

The Director glared at his team in veiled rage. "I think Toro is right. We have to salvage this case and stop them from releasing that computer virus. I'll put a call in to the Feds and get it set up." He looked at the team. "I will advise them that we have certain protocols that must be followed. If they want to collaborate, they will have to agree to do it our way. We may have to make a concession, by letting them take lead, but your identities will be protected at all costs. Dismissed."


	3. Chapter 3

Don sat at his desk, reviewing folders, when his phone rang. "Eppes?" he barked into it. "Meet with the director in five? Yeah, I'm on my way." He got up from his desk and went to the assistant director's office. As he stepped in the look on Merrick's face gave Don a sense of unease.

Merrick motioned for Don to sit before speaking. "I just got a call from the NSA. They want us to work with their team to try to salvage what remains of the cyber virus case."

Don raised an eyebrow. "The NSA? What do they have to do with this case?"

Merrick leaned forward and made a resigned gesture with his hands. "Look, Don, all I can tell you is this. The team you guys nabbed yesterday – they're NSA. The cyber thieves we were after... well, it turns out they work for someone who is developing a super virus, which is a huge threat to national security, and that is why the NSA is involved. It has been decided that the FBI and NSA will collaborate on this. Listen up: YOU will be in charge of this. That team is taking their lead from you, so utilize them as you see fit. They should be here within the next half hour."

Don looked at his boss, more than a little stunned at the unforeseen turn of events.

"And Don, they're a covert op team, identities are on a need to know only."

Don went back to his desk and informed his team of the situation.

Colby's jaw dropped in disbelief as he exclaimed, "You mean we're going to be working with those people? And they work for the NSA?"

Don nodded. "That's what Merrick said. So, no more digging into their identities. They're covert ops and their backgrounds are off limits."

Don looked over and spied the "ghost" group entering the bullpen area. They carried a few boxes of information but stopped when Assistant Director Merrick saw them. He pointed at where Don and his team were sitting; they nodded and walked over to them.

The two teams stood there and sized each other up with cold stares. Finally Toro broke the silence. "We brought what information we had with us. Where do you want it?"

Don mentally began to assess the NSA agents as he replied, "Follow me. You can put it in this conference room." He motioned for them to follow them to the room that he and his team called the 'war room'. Once there he opened the door, allowing the two teams to file in.

Megan turned with a pleasant smile. "I'm Special Agent Megan Reeves. This is Special Agent In Charge Don Eppes, and Special Agents David Sinclair and Colby Granger. The restrooms are down the hall, and we have coffee in the break room if you'd like some."

Toro nodded at Megan. "You can call me Toro. I'm team leader of this group. This is Mae, she's our data miner." Mae looked up from the laptop she had started to set up and smiled nervously. "This is BJ, our profiler."

BJ gave an unfriendly look to the four agents and went back to pulling out case files.

Toro continued, "The big guy is Mario."

Mario walked over and shook each agent's hand. He said, in a strong, Southern drawl, "You want to know about explosives or weapons, I'm your man." Mario pointed to Elle. "And this is Elle, who, among other things, is our decryption analyst." He turned a sly smile at Don. "We like to call her 'the weapon' and I believe Agent Eppes here saw her in action first hand."

Don glared at Mario and noticed that Elle also shot the big man an annoyed look.

Her gaze met Don's briefly before she quickly looked away. Don muttered, "Yeah, don't remind me."

Toro turned to everyone and said, "Well, now that all the niceties are done, where do you want to start, Eppes?"

"Why don't you tell us a bit about your side of the case, and we'll do the same on our end. Hopefully we can plug in the holes that led to yesterday's fiasco," Don said, with emphasis on the word 'fiasco.' The two teams sat down and went through their cases and intel step by step.

A few hours passed and Don decided that he would call Charlie to see if he could come up with some type of expression to narrow down their search grid. He had Colby and David work with Mario and Mae to sort through the data to see what was redundant on both sides. Megan and BJ went through the profiles of the suspects they had fingered to see if they could shake loose any new information. Don and the remainder of the "ghost" group checked up on the newest leads.

Elle stood up and cracked her neck. "Gonna get some coffee. Anybody want some?" Don caught a glimpse of the small tattoo again on her hip when she stretched.

Everyone shook his or her head no in reply. She got up and walked out of the conference room.

A few moments later, Don's eyes were bleary from reading through the reports and he thought that coffee sounded like a good idea. He got up and headed towards the break room. He saw Elle pour a cup of coffee and blow over the rim; she then took a sip of the coffee and grimaced after tasting it. He heard her mumble as he stepped into the room, "Feds, can't even get a good cup of coffee."

He quirked her a smile and said, "You work for the government, you should know that our coffee is terrible." He poured himself a cup of the hot liquid and added cream and sugar to it.

She replied dryly as she handed him a swizzle stick, "You would think."

Unnerved by her almost friendly demeanor, he took the stick from her and stirred his coffee. He sucked the stick for a moment while pondering the woman who stood before him. He scanned her appearance. She was very attractive, if maybe a little too thin. She was pretty much the type of woman Don found him self attracted too, beautiful, seemingly self-assured and intelligent. She wore minimal makeup, if any, and her curly hair was tied back in a clasp at the back of her neck. She was dressed in khaki cargo pants and a brown t-shirt that fit her like a glove. While biting on the swizzle stick, he said in an amused tone, "So ghosts drink it black?"

Elle looked up from her coffee. Don saw a smile threaten to form at the corners of her mouth in response. He found his lips beginning to mirror a grin of his own.

After a moment she finally responded, "No extra additives. That's how we ghosts stay transparent."

He snorted in amusement at her glib comment.

They stood in silence for a moment drinking their coffee.

"So how's your face?" she asked as she stepped towards him, leaning in closely, her body mere inches away from his. Don watched her hand instinctively rise up to touch his face, her eyes darkening, but a second later she stopped herself from the intimate act.

"Hurts, but I'm sure I will heal," he said, hiding how uncomfortable he felt with her body in such proximity to his.

"I'm sure you will."

He then added, "You pack one hell of a punch."

Her lips once again curled up with a small smile. "I've heard that rumor."

Finally tearing his gaze from hers, he said, "Well I should get back."

"Yeah, sure." He watched the friendliness that she had momentarily worn slide off her face to be replaced by the woman whom he dubbed in his head the 'ghost woman.' She turned her back to him and poured herself a second cup of coffee. Don looked at Elle and again wondered who this woman truly was when no one was looking. There was something more to her but he couldn't quite place it. He observed her for a moment before leaving the break room. On his way back to the conference room he ran into Charlie, who had just gotten there.

"Hey, buddy. Thanks for coming to help."

"Yeah, sure, Don. Glad to try to help. Hey, how's your jaw feeling? I ran into Megan and she said someone by the name of Elle punched you yesterday."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Don said, waving off Charlie's inquiry. "Yeah, let me fill you in." Don took Charlie aside and gave him a quick rundown of the events from yesterday and that morning. They walked into the conference room. Charlie greeted the other members of the FBI team.

Don introduced his brother to the "ghost group." "That is Toro, Mario, BJ, and Mae on the computer. This is my brother, Dr. Charles Eppes. He is an applied mathematician and has helped us before on cases."

Mae jumped up and ran over to Charlie. "Wow, you're Dr. Eppes. I loved your paper on H Infinity Control of Non-Linear Systems. I have read all of your work. I can't wait to read your next article in American Journal of Mathematics. This is absolutely so fantastic that I'll be working with you."

Charlie looked a little embarrassed at the attention the younger woman gave him, but was able to mumble a sincere thank you.

Elle walked back in the office. "So what did I miss?" she said to Mario.

Mario answered, "Apparently our little Mae has met her math hero."

"Math hero?" She waved her hand. "Forget I asked."

Don decided that he'd better rescue his brother from the adulations of the data miner. Seeing a puzzled expression on the black op's face, he introduced Elle to his brother. "This is Dr. Charles Eppes; he is a professor of applied mathematics."

She extended her hand to Charlie. "I'm Elle."

Charlie smiled warmly. "Hello."

Don continued talking. "He's worked with us on past cases. Sometimes he gives a unique look into the data we are investigating. I asked him to see if he can analyze our data using some type of math theory."

"Math, yeah, it has all kinds of practical uses besides balancing one's checkbook. I use Asymmetric-key algorithms when I decrypt all the time," she replied with a nod of her to Charlie.

Charlie said, with some surprise in his voice, "You know what Asymmetric-key algorithms are?"

"Yeah, doesn't everyone?" she answered with a shrug.

Charlie gave her a bemused look and then turned towards his brother. "Wow, someone in the FBI understands what I am talking about for once."

Elle replied, sounding insulted, "I'm not a fed. I'm NSA."

"Ah, that explains it," Charlie chuckled.

Don squinted his eyes at Charlie's comment and grunted a reply.

Elle scanned the two men before carefully asking. "Brothers?"

Charlie shot a wicked grin to Don and said, "Yeah, could be worse."

Don shot him a scowl back. " Yeah, yeah, real funny. How about dropping the routine and getting to work."

"Pleasure to meet you, then." She gave a smile towards Charlie before heading over to talk to Toro.

Charlie said privately to Don as he watched Elle walk away, "Hey, wait, isn't she the one that hit you?"

Don shot him an annoyed look, making Charlie grin. "It was. I think I'm gonna like her." 


	4. Chapter 4

It had been over eight days that Don and his team started working with the NSA team. He was pleased to notice that everyone fell into step with each other after the initial wariness wore off. Don mused to himself that working with this team had been one of the easiest inter agency cross over he had worked with in a long time when he stepped on the elevator. He heard a voice yell out to hold the door breaking his train of thought. He quickly stuck his hand out to stop the doors. After a second or two a very bruised looking Colby Granger stepped in.

Don raised an eyebrow in question.

Colby looked at Don and said, "Don't ask."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Don replied dryly.

They both rode the elevator up in uncomfortable silence. They arrived at their floor and stepped off. Mae and Megan walked by, took one look at Colby, and started laughing.

Mae giggled, "Agent Granger, ummm, Mario did warn you."

Megan added, "He has to learn the hard way."

Colby's embarrassed mumbled to himself, "One hundred and twenty pound woman… told she was a self defense master, should've known better." They stepped further into the office and saw the rest of the team working.

Don spied Elle leaning over David's shoulder. They were both staring at a computer screen. David looked up at Elle and said something. She shrugged and pointed at something on the screen. The angle that she was standing at made her shirt pull up over her low-rise jeans, which revealed her abdomen and hips. Don glimpsed a symbol tattooed on her left hip; it was black and looked like an eight turned on its side. Over the last few weeks Don had caught himself staring at her on more then one occasion. He noticed that everything she did was precise and with control, however he sensed that underneath it all smoldered a wicked temper. Something about her intrigued him, making Don watch her intently when she interacted with his team and his brother. Don felt, much to his dismay, the attraction between them grow as he found himself usually paired with her to check up on leads. Don on more than one occasion wanted to take a closer look at that tattoo, maybe trace his hands over it, run his hands over her pale skin and see her dark eyes fill with passion. Annoyed at what he was thinking, he told himself to focus.

_(Unbeknownst to Don, she too watched him, her mind curious over the relationship Don had with his brother and teammates. The more they worked together, the more Elle found herself being drawn to the attractive agent. The magnetism that she found herself feeling was damaging her calm. Elle on more than one occasion had awakened at night tangled up in her sheets, her body slicked with sweat at dreams she could not quite grasp, but Elle knew that they centered on Don. Aggravated with herself for giving him more than a passing thought, she tried desperately to slam her guards in place. Elle waited impatiently for this case to be over so she could put as much distance as possible between her and Don Eppes.)_

Don focused his attention on Mario walking over to him. He shook his head, trying to shake loose any thoughts of her.

Mario walked over with a file for Don. He shot a grin to Colby. "Agent Eppes, the program that your brother hooked up kicked up a trail on some new activity."

Don took the file from Mario and started to read it.

Mario whistled. "Your brother is some math man."

Don looked up from the file, a small smile on his lips. "That he is. Do we have a location yet?"

Mario replied, "Elle is running a trace now with Agent Sinclair."

As if she knew that they were talking about her, she looked up and turned her gaze in their direction. Her eyes met his briefly for a moment before they slid back to the computer screen. She said something to David. Don watched the other agent look at the screen. He nodded his head and called out to Don, "Don, we found something."

He quickly walked over to the desk. "Yeah, what do you got?"

David said, "We applied the parameters Charlie's program gave out and we got three locales. Elle and I checked them all out and the only one that didn't clear was this one."

"Good, ok. Let's go check it out. David, Mario, and Elle, you're with me. Toro, I want you and the rest of the team to see what you can shake loose on the bank account numbers."

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Arriving at the location that David and Elle had found, Don had Mario and David go around back while he and Elle made their way in front. Don motioned to Elle to follow his lead as they entered into the run down building, guns drawn. After securing the first room, Don and Elle made their way further in. In the back of the building they found that David and Mario had subdued a suspect. He was on the ground as Mario was cuffing him. Don took out his phone to call ERT to process the scene and take the computers into custody to process for any new leads. David and Mario pulled the perp off the floor and were starting to lead him out to the car to bring him in for questioning when a second man brandishing a weapon ran in, surprising the agents. He pointed the gun immediately at Don and pulled the trigger. Before Don could react, he heard Elle yell, "Eppes, down!" followed by him being propelled to the floor by Elle tackling him, veering him out of the trajectory of the bullet.

Don was flat on his back with her on top of him. Her face was only inches from his when she smiled. Before he could say anything, she flipped herself off of him to assist David and Mario in subduing the suspect.

After apprehending the suspects, the four agents returned to the office. Don took off his jacket and felt a tinge in his back. He figured he had a nice sized bruise on it about now.

Megan walked over to Don. "Hey, I heard you guys ran into a little problem back at the house."

Don said, "Yeah, you could say that. The one perp immediately dropped to the floor when we got there; the other one decided to cause some trouble. "

She replied wryly, "They always do it the hard way."

"Yeah, well, he took a shot at me."

Megan whistled from behind her teeth.

Don smiled wanly back at Megan. He thought about how close he came to getting shot; even though he was wearing his vest, it still would have hurt like hell. Elle's reflexes were really good. He remembered her yelling, then her tackling him with a great deal of force, all the while catching a waft of her floral perfume as she landed on top of him.

"Yeah, sounds like it was a close one."

Don rubbed his jaw and said, "Yeah, she said had a choice--tackling me or letting me get shot and then tackling the perp." He gave a tired smile to Megan and said, "Yeah, I told her I liked the first choice."

Megan laughed. "Yeah, so do I."

Colby walked over from the interrogation rooms. "Hey Don, perp number one is ready to sing like a canary."

Don replied, "Yeah, good. Let's go hear how good he is."

Colby followed Don over to the interrogation rooms and they passed Elle walking by. Colby said, "Yeah, Don, I heard close call."

"Yeah. It was."

Colby flashed a mischievous smile at they passed Elle. Colby said to her, "Hey, thanks for keeping my boss from getting shot." She shrugged as if it was nothing. He added with a huge grin, "Yeah, I heard you like the top."

She quipped back, "Maybe I do, wouldn't you like to know, Granger?" Her eyes rested on Don as she gave him a wiry smile. "Was it good for you too, Eppes?" Don rolled his eyes at her comment as she walked back to her assigned desk laughing.

Twenty minutes later Don stepped out of the interrogation room with a location. He assembled both teams and gave out assignments for the raid.

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The next five hours were a blur for Don. After performing reconnaissance and setting up a sting, Don had both teams swarm in to arrest all the perps at the warehouse. Even though precautions were taken, both teams entered in a shoot out with the suspects. Don felt his pulse quicken as he unloaded each bullet. The suspect volleyed back with resistance in return. Don found himself up against an SUV next to Elle and David. He covered her while she reloaded the rifle. He motioned for them to join BJ near some construction equipment where they continued firing.

Before apprehending the last suspect, Don heard a single gunshot fired in Elle's direction. Don felt his chest tighten, thinking that she had been shot, but in the last second he realized that the bullet hadn't hit Elle, it had hit BJ squarely in the neck, sending the big man toppling to his death. Don watched horror fill Elle's eyes as she fell to BJ's side, trying to stop the bleeding.

When the EMTs arrived, Elle refused to leave BJ's side. Don pulled the distraught operative away, holding her in his arms till she stopped struggling. When she realized that he was holding her, Elle pushed out of Don's grasp, shoving him roughly aside. She stood idly by and watched the medics try to save BJ's life. Don witnessed the EMTs call the time of death, as Toro stood aloof at the whole turn events. Don saw Mae sobbing uncontrollably in Mario's arms. He looked around for Elle. She stood alone as she watched the EMTs wrap BJ's body up. He noticed that her body was covered in blood and her hands hung limply down by her side. She finally looked up and locked eyes with Don. He saw such raw pain in her eyes it made Don flinch. She shook her head and walked away from the scene. He tried to see where she went but lost sight of her among the confusion of the other milling agents.

Don watched as an unmarked ambulance drove up to the scene and two men jumped out. They conferred with the EMTs previously on the scene; before they could object the two unknown men flashed paperwork and loaded up the body of the fallen man. Within minutes of the ambulance speeding away, an unmarked SUV pulled up and Mae and Toro got in.

Toro approached Don and said, "You'll have your reports in a day." Before getting in the SUV, he shot Don one last look. "Remember, Eppes, we don't exist."

Megan walked over to where Don stood and said, "I've been looking for you. What's going on?"

Don turned and said, " I have no idea. Have you seen Elle? She didn't go with them."

"Yeah I did. She looks like a shell of herself," Megan sighed. "I asked her if she was okay." Megan looked at the pool of blood and empty shell cases.

Don turned his head away. "What did she say?"

"Nothing. It was as if she didn't hear me. I watched her walk off by herself." Megan touched Don's arm. "I hope she'll be okay."

Don looked wearily at Megan and finally said, "Yeah, me too."


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a few weeks since the "ghost" group worked with the FBI but the outcome was still reverberating through the group. The team was never allowed time to grieve for BJ. No funeral services were held for him.

Elle, who had always been able to separate herself from her emotions, couldn't seem to do it this time. She hadn't left her apartment in days. Her thoughts swirled through her brain. She sat in the same spot in her small apartment for hours, knees drawn up to her face and back against the wall. Day had turned into night but she didn't get up to turn the lights on. Her thoughts kept returning to seeing the bullet hit BJ, his blood being spattered across her face.

There had been other team members. Three others before BJ, but she was always able to deal. How come this time she could not get past it? What was different with BJ getting killed? It wasn't like she knew him all that well. That was policy. Keep personal information to yourself. Never share who you were, where you came from. But sometimes small things slipped through. It couldn't be helped--they spent way too much time together while on a case. She knew that BJ liked James Cagney and Frostys from Wendy's. The small things he did for Mae. He must have had brothers and sisters cause he always looked after the younger woman. She laughed to herself when she thought of all the times they were on stakeouts together and he would bring Elle a pint of ice cream. He would tease her, telling her that her only weakness was ice cream. That if it ever got out, the bad guys would just hold a pint of Ben and Jerry's to her head, as she would spill the beans.

She got up and looked out the window. She turned around and looked at her sparsely furnished apartment that did not feel like a home. No home for someone like her. She flipped through the channels and stopped on the Sci-Fi channel; the show Ghost Hunters was on. The title made her smile. It made her think of all the times that Don called her ghost.

Don's whole team had started to refer to her as the "ghost," especially Colby after he agreed to a sparring match with her. It was the first and last time he would spar with her. He would tell anyone that listened that she must be a ghost, 'cause she always came out of nowhere to hit him. Working with the feds was not as bad as she thought it was going to be. She enjoyed the camaraderie they seemed to have with each other--something her team lacked. She also enjoyed watching Don with his brother Charlie, how their love for each other bound them tight at the job and outside of it. She was jealous of the relationships that Don had with his team and his brother.

That's when it hit her. She knew why she couldn't get past it. It was Don. It was Agent Don Eppes and his damn team. Furthermore, it was his damn brother. She wanted to scream at the loneliness she faced. Hot tears of pain streamed down her face; tears for her fallen comrade, for her past, for all that she had lost.

She closed her eyes as she tried to remember how she ended up on this path--a path that now was threatening to either kill or destroy her. Elle struggled to pull up those memories but they eluded her. The only thing that came to her was the utter despair that she felt after the death of her mother and a newspaper ad that read, "Want to escape your life? Call us."

She remembered calling the number and immersing herself into a world that required blind obedience and allegiance. While training, her superiors remarked at her aptitude and the rate that she picked up new skills. The self-defense trainers started calling her "the weapon," but she knew that she had those skills from long ago, her father having had her take up the sport so she could defend herself and learn to control her temper. Control her temper? She laughed. The only people who knew how to get her to control her temper were her mother and father, and with them gone she had spiraled out of control.

She fell to the floor of her kitchen and sobbed. She had no one. Her family was gone. No friends to speak of. She was alone, and for the first time in almost nine years it was a problem. She got up off the floor and ran to her bedroom. From under the bed she pulled out a small box. She opened the box and looked at what was in it. She found the envelope that would help her find herself, make her real again. She also saw the picture of her mother, wrinkled and worn with age. She fingered the picture and placed it back the box. Sitting down at her desk, she pulled out some paper and started to write. She knew what she was gonna do.

She had to quit.


	6. Chapter 6

It was early in the morning; the sky had streaks of color in it from the dawn.

Elle walked into the office that the team was using as their current headquarters. The computers were all on sleep mode. The place was empty except for the cubicle in the corner. She passed by and saw Mae sleeping at her desk. The small Asian woman looked peaceful. She had a small smile on her lips. Elle thought, "Must be a good dream." A pang of jealousy swept over Elle. She hadn't had a night of peaceful sleep in years. She tried to remember the last time she'd slept more than 4 hours a night. It had to be at least nine years ago. Had it been that long? She was only thirty-one and she felt worn to the bone.

She walked over to the Director's office. She stood outside of it. She looked down at her hands. They were shaking. She was angry with herself; this was not how she dealt with things. She didn't shake like some milkmaid when stalked by the wolf. She was the weapon! "Damn, what the hell is wrong with me!" She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, grabbing on to the meditation techniques she had been taught. She calmed herself enough to walk in the door and to the awaiting storm that was known as the Director.

The Director sat behind his desk looking up at Elle as she stepped in. He motioned for Elle to sit. His piercing blue eyes scanned over her, making her more aware that his behavior was becoming increasingly erratic and violent. She felt like he could read her mind.

He sat back in his chair and said, "Where you been Elle? I have a new assignment for you to start on." He caught her in his stare.

She stared back at him, unable to look away.

"Not like you to disappear like that. Seems to me you are actually taking BJ's death a lot harder then you normally do when we lose a team member. What's so different about this time?"

At the mention of BJ's name she was finally able to break the stare with the Director. She thought, "What's different? That damn Fed is what's different." But for Don's sake she wouldn't tell him that. She slid the envelope she had been carrying over to the Director.

He raised an eyebrow and took the envelope from her. He opened it. His eyes scanned the document. He got up and put it in the shredder. He turned to look at Elle. His eyes full of rage, he looked at her and simply said, "No, you're denied."

Her head snapped up at his answer. "Excuse me, denied? No one ever tells me no," she angrily said as she slammed her fist down on his desk. "I quit. No more. I've had enough of this life." She stood up and glared at the Director.

The Director walked over and stood inches from Elle's face. "You are not leaving. You can't quit. You're too good at what you do."

"Hell I can't. I'm out before I turn into you. I am not doing this anymore. No more not existing. No more walking in the shadows. No more!" Elle said with deliberate calm.

The Director moved menacingly towards. Elle in one swift movement had the Director pinned faced down on his desk with his arm wrenched behind him. "Don't even think about it. You know I can wipe the floor with you. Isn't that why you call me your weapon?"

He growled, "You'll pay for that."

After releasing him she walked over to his desk. She took her photo ID off her belt and laid it on the desk along with her cell phone and gun. She took a second copy of the envelope that was shredded earlier and placed it on the desk. As she stalked out of the room, she turned one last glance at the director and noted; he looked like he wanted to kill her. She said, without showing fear at the way he gazed at her, "This envelope details everything that will happen if you send any of your cronies after me. Consider it precautionary measures which YOU taught me." With that, she slammed the door behind her.

She quickly began to leave the office when the rest of the team blocked her exit. She started to brush past them, but turned to them and said, "I'm out."

Toro narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?"

She simply said, "I want to exist."

Mario sucked in his breath, "Aw hell, Elle. Come on. You can't leave us. Who's gonna keep me in line?"

She snorted unable to keep a small smile off her lips. "Well, I think the world will just have to deal with you being out of line."

She walked over to Mae hugging the woman. "Take care of yourself, Mae."

Mae just nodded at Elle, looking shocked at the display of affection she had received.

"Toro, keep 'em alive. Promise me that?"

Toro looked hard at her. He slowly nodded his head. "I'll do what I can."

She walked out, never once looked back at her old life, and tried to think of what the hell she was going to do with her new one.


	7. Chapter 7

(Lyrics from Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.)

After she left the office, Elle just walked, walked all over town. At one point she heard the radio playing at some construction site. It was Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams. She smirked and muttered to herself, "How appropriate." She listened to the song, for a moment allowing the lyrics to wash over her.

_I walk a lonely road _

_The only one that I have ever known _

_Don't know where it goes _

_But it's home to me and I walk alone... _

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me... _

_My shallow heart__'__s the only thing that's beating _

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_

She thought, "I wish someone would find me."

_Till then I walk alone... _

_Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive _

_And I walk alone._

"I don't want to be alone anymore." She leaned against a wall and felt tears threaten to spill forth. She blinked them back and continued her walk.

She left the construction site and stopped at a diner and ordered her favorite, chocolate chip pancakes and a chocolate milk shake. She knew she would have to run an extra mile or so in the morning to work off the calories, but she didn't care. Hell, maybe she wouldn't run that extra mile, she could do whatever she wanted. She was celebrating her newfound life. After eating she left a large tip for the waitress and resumed her trek. About three hours later she found herself in front of a grade school. She watched the kids running and screaming on the playground. She smiled at how carefree they were. It was time for her to go to the bank to regain her past.

She walked in through the front door of National Savings & Loans. She went up to the counter and asked for her safe deposit box. She showed the necessary documents and was led into a small room. The customer service person brought in her box and left the room. Elle took a deep breath and opened the box. She pulled out her real driver's license, Social Security card, and all her true documents. Also inside the box was a contact to help reestablish her into society in her chosen field. She found in the box her bank account info that would allow her to get by for some time till she could find some work. The next thing she pulled out was her diploma. She read her name on it and the degree she graduated with. She barked out a harsh laugh at what her dreams had been and what she ended up allowing herself to be turned into. True, she may have always had the capacity to do things that many would find reprehensible, but the goodness of her mother kept those tendencies, and her temper, in check.

She picked up her birth certificate and read the name. She smiled as she read her name. She was named for her grandmother. She closed the box and left the bank.

It was close to 4 PM and Elle was still not sure of what to do with herself.

She decided to go see a movie. She laughed to herself. "A movie. I haven't seen one in years." She walked to the multiplex and read down the list of movies. She decided that Mission Impossible III was too close to her old job and The Da Vinci Code may require her to think, so she chose Robin Williams' RV. "Yeah, some mindless humor with good old Robin." She bought herself water and popcorn with extra butter.

After the movie she caught a cab to an area in LA, and walked around taking the sites in. She just let her feet take her wherever. It was about 9pm when she looked at the door she now stood in front of. She wasn't sure how she ended up here. She wasn't sure if she would be welcomed. Would he slam the door in her face? She started to walk away from the door but something made her change her mind.

She knocked on it and waited. She was about to walk away, thinking no one was home, when she heard the person on the other side mumble something about not swinging at the low and outside pitches. She watched the door swing open and saw a surprised look on his face as he blurted out, "Ghost?"


	8. Chapter 8

Don looked at the woman standing in front on him. He felt his hand instinctively go to his gun before he remembered it was with his wallet and keys in his bedroom. He felt the thread of suspicion start to drain away as he studied her. Something was different. "Elle, what are you doing here?"

Elle looked down at the ground, her voice filled with uncertainty as she said, "I don't know... Uh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you."

He replied carefully, "No, it's alright."

She looked away as she said, "I just needed to talk to someone. Can I come in?"

Still a little surprised that she was here and a bit mistrustful of her, he answered, "Oh, okay." He stepped aside to let her in. "Can I get you a beer or something?" He stopped and remembered that in the short time he had worked with her he never saw her put anything in her mouth that wasn't health food, except for coffee which she drank black. "Hey, do you even drink beer?"

She answered, "Yes, only if it's ice cold."

He nodded and took one of the beers from the back of the fridge, took off the cap, and handed it to her.

Don watched as Elle walked the perimeter of Don's living room. She looked over at his TV. She simply said, "Dodgers?"

"Yeah."

"Looks like they're losing?"

He shrugged. "Well, I've been a fan since I was a kid."

Don watched her eyes catalogue every inch of his apartment. He motioned to the couch for her to sit.

She perched on the edge of the couch and stared at her beer.

He sat on the other side of her. "So... you wanted to talk."

"Huh? Oh yeah... I just needed someone to talk to and unfortunately, Eppes, you're the closest thing I have to a friend." She gave him a small smile. "Pretty sad, huh?"

He snorted at her last comment. "Yeah, that's pretty sad." He took a sip of his beer. "So, what did you want to talk about?" His eyes flicked back to the game for a second before he grabbed the remote turning it off..

She blurted out, "I quit."

Don's head whipped around to stare at the woman. "What? Did you say you just quit?"

She replied in her usual annoyed tone, "Do I stutter, Fed? Yeah, I quit. I gave my walking papers and hit the road."

He stared at her, unsure of what to say.

She softly said, "I had enough. It was time to go. I decided that I want to exist. No more being in the shadows." A faint smile came over her lips. "I don't want to be a ghost anymore, Eppes."

Don smirked and asked, "Why? What changed? BJ's death?"

"Yeah partly. But there is something else."

"And that would be?"

She simply stated, "You. I blame you, Agent Don Eppes"

"Me, what the hell did I do?" He growled.

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Don said, exasperated, "You just can't come into a man's place and blame him for something without giving him some sort of explanation."

She finally looked over at him. "You want an explanation, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, that would be nice."

She blew out some air. "Okay, well, that's fair. Those couple of weeks working with you and your team has been an eye opening experience. Watching your camaraderie with each other and the concern you have for each other reminded me of what I don't have. Even watching you and your brother made me think."

He carefully said, "You sound jealous."

"When you say it like that it sounds petty." She sighed, "But yeah, I guess I am. Do you even know what you have? You are one of the luckiest people I have met in a long time."

He was silent for a moment. "Yeah, I know what I have. I've got good people around me. So you have no one, huh?"

"Yeah, no one. My mother passed a few years back. I couldn't deal..." She let her voice trail off.

He put his hand on her shoulder in sympathy, but quickly removed it. "I'm sorry about your mother. I lost mine about three years ago. I don't think anyone really deals with something like that." His voice was gentle and kind. Don noticed that she looked like she may cry.

"You know, I think this was a bad idea. I should go." Elle started to get up and walk towards the door.

He put out a hand to stop her. "It's okay, you don't have to go."

She shook her head and looked at him. "Yeah, I do. Don, this was a bad idea; I don't want to talk about this anymore... I gotta go."

That was the first time since they met she ever called him Don. It was always Fed or Eppes. He followed her and grabbed her hand. "Seriously, you don't have to go. I mean if you want to stay and talk some more, I can listen." It struck him how vulnerable she looked. He saw a tear form in her eye and streak down her cheek. He extended his hand to wipe the tear away when she whispered, "Don't." She stepped back from him. "Don, I..." He looked in her eyes and saw such raw pain that it broke his heart. It was the same pain that he knew he carried in his heart but never dared show anyone after his mother's death. He'd never felt so akin to someone than at this moment; it made a knot in his stomach. He took two steps towards her to close the gap between them and put his arms around Elle. He knew what he was about to do may not be the best idea, that she may lash out at him with the speed and accuracy that he knew she possessed. He felt her start to tremble in his arms, followed by a small sob. Don felt Elle slide her arms around him, lay her head on his shoulder and return his embrace. They stood like that for a few moments. He stroked her hair and just held on to her.

She whispered, "See, not a ghost, but very real." Don pulled back a little from their embrace to gaze at her. Her eyes mirrored the same raw attraction that he felt for her. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned in and kissed her gently. At first her body went rigid against him, before softening as she returned his kiss. He pulled away from her, licking his lips, his hands cupping her face, and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." She shook her head and said, "Please don't stop. It makes me feel real." His thumb traced the bottom of her lip, before he nodded and kissed her again.

Their lips touched gently as their kissing became more passionate. Don pulled Elle in tighter as he relished in finally acting upon their mutual attraction. Don felt Elle tighten her arms around him and press gainst his. Before he knew what he was doing, he picked her up and swiftly took her to his bedroom. At the foot of his bed they began to kiss with more fervor as they ran their hands up and down each other's spines. He pulled her hair out of its ponytail, running both of his hands through her curly locks. It was soft and silky and smelled faintly like citrus. He nuzzled her neck and whispered huskily, "We don't have to do this, Elle." He nibbled on her neck as his hands ran down touching her hips.

She touched the sides of his face making him look her in the eye. "I want to." She ran her hands up the sides of his shirt and helped him pull it up over his head. As she leaned in to kiss him, she whispered, "Elisabeth. My name's Elisabeth."

Don returned her kiss with renewed fervor as he began to help her out of her clothes. He whispered as he ran his lips down her ear, "Elisabeth."

Elisabeth let out a pleasure-filled moan in response. They lowered themselves to the bed and peeled the remainder of each other's clothes off one by one. He gazed at her nude body for a few moments, taking in every little inch of her skin and curves before he traced the infinity tattoo on her hip. He slid his hands up to the sides of her face, as he situated himself over her. She wrapped her legs and arms tightly around Don as tight as possible as if she wanted as much of her skin to be in contact with Don's. They intently stared unwavering in each other's eyes, as their bodies moved in union. Don moved slowly, and gently wanting to do nothing but bring pleasure to the woman who lay beneath him. He felt her body respond to his as she finally climaxed, letting Don lose his last shred of control into his own pleasure. He stayed inside of her for a while till their bodies stopped trembling, kissing every inch of her face and neck.

After satiating their passion for each other, Don pulled Elisabeth close to him and held her till they both fell asleep. A few hours passed; when Don awoke alone in bed, a handwritten note was the only evidence that Elisabeth had been there.

It read: 'Don, thanks for the beer and everything… Ghost.'

A small smile formed on his lips as he reread the note. Don settled back down on his bed, he put one of his hands on the side of the bed where Elisabeth had lain, and tried to fall back asleep. But sleep evaded him and all he could do was lay there thinking about all that he had in his life and Elle, no Elisabeth's warm soft skin.

Outside of Don's apartment, Elisabeth leaned against the wall, fingering a small object in her hand as she looked back at his apartment door. She opened her hand and revealed the cap from the bottle of beer he had giving her.

_She smiled wistfully and walked away to try to begin her life once again._


	9. Chapter 9

It was late May. Don and Colby stepped out of a jewelry store. They had just interviewed the owner regarding a tip that they had received regarding a counterfeit diamond scheme. As they walked back to the car they passed a stream of customers coming out of a Conti's bakery. Don saw the way that Colby looked at the entrance to the store. He shook his head and smiled.

He said in an amused tone, "How about some coffee? I think it's my turn to buy."

Colby grinned back at him as he answered his cell phone. "Yeah, that sounds great."

Don walked into the bakery. At the counter was a young woman who probably was a college student. She gave Don a wide smile. "Hi, what can I get for you?"

"Hi, uh, how about two small coffees?"

"Sure, will that be it, sir? Can I interest you in one of our pastries? They're really great."

"Yeah, sure. What do you recommend?"

She grinned. "Well, our cupcakes are really good. Oh, and I like our angel wings, but if you really want something good try some of our cookies. The lemon drops and chocolate chunks are to die for."

He smiled back at the young woman's enthusiasm. "Alright, I'll take you up on that recommendation. How about two chocolate chunks and two lemon drops?"

The counter girl nodded and went to get his order together. As Don waited for his purchase he noticed a woman coming out of the back with a large tray in her hands. Don scanned the rest of the pastries in the cases as he heard the woman speak to the counter girl. "Mary Beth, here are some more cookies. Can you call the Donnelly woman and tell her that her cake is ready to be picked up?" He stopped in his tracks; he knew that voice. He turned to look at the woman. He glanced at her profile, dark eyes matching dark hair, and fondly remembered how soft her skin felt when they were together that night. He shook himself back into the present moment. He said softly, "Ghost?" He watched her instinctively become defensive as she turned to look at him.

He watched her slowly relax when she realized who had spoken. She said in an amused tone, "Well, if it isn't the Fed. Why am I not surprise to find someone in law enforcement in a bakery?"

He grinned at her remark. "I see your sense of humor hasn't changed."

Elisabeth snorted. "Well, you feds really do make it easy."

"Yeah, I guess we do. So it's been a while."

She walked over to where he was standing and said, "Yeah, it has."

"You left before I could say goodbye."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

He shrugged. "You been okay?"

"Yeah, sure. You?"

"Fine." He paused for a moment. "So you're a baker?" He tried to say it with a straight face; his lips twitched into a smile.

"First of all, I'm a pastry chef and are you laughing at me? What did you think I went to school for anyway?"

"Well, I sure as hell wouldn't have picked a chef." He grinned mischievously. "Maybe a librarian?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. So how's your team? Your brother?"

"They're good."

"Sir, your total comes to $7.37," said the counter girl.

"Mary Beth, throw it on my tab for my friend here. I have to get back to the kitchen." She tossed him a grin before the door closed behind her. "See you around."

He took the coffees and the cookies from the girl and told her, "Thanks."

She said, "You friends with Elisabeth?"

Don replied, "Yeah, you could say that we're friends."

"She's so nice. She's giving me guitar lessons."

Don mused to himself as he left the bakery, "Guitar lessons? I never would have guessed it."

It was after eight PM and Don sat on his couch watching the Dodgers. He heard a rap at his door. Puzzled, he got up to answer it. He opened the door to see Elisabeth standing there like she did all those months ago. This time it was different; she didn't look so lost.

She smiled and said, "Hi."

He said, "Hey." A small grin played over his features. "So you want me to let you in?"

"I brought cupcakes. I figured it would be the price of admission."

He smiled and stepped aside to let her in. He asked, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Um, no thanks." She walked around the apartment. "I see you haven't had a chance to decorate this place since I was here last." She sat down on the couch.

"Yeah, well I try not to spend too much time here."

"Still at your brother's all the time? Didn't he say that you mooch meals off of him and your dad all the time?"

"Hey, they invite me over."

Amused, she replied, "Sure they do."

"Whatever." Don walked in and sat down beside her. He looked at the TV and muttered something about the umpire being blind.

She looked at his face. "Baseball?"

"Yeah, Dodgers and Braves."

"Who's winning?"

He sighed. "Not the Dodgers."

They both sat and watched the game, eating cupcakes.

Don looked at Elisabeth out of the corner of his eye. "So I heard you play the guitar?"

She looked sharply at him. "Where did you hear that?" She shook her head. "Mary Beth?"

He nodded and grinned back at her. "So what other surprises about you are there?"

"Full of questions, aren't we?"

"Maybe."

She narrowed her eyes at Don and said, "Alright, question man. You can ask as many questions as you like but that goes ditto for me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Deal."

She spread her hands out in front of her. "Ask away."

"Alright, favorite band and your hobbies."

"Don't have a favorite band, but I love the Sex Pistols, Jethro Tull and Gaelic Storm. I also play the guitar as you know along with the piano. I've been doing some volunteering at the hospital. Okay, your turn."

He grinned at her. "I play tennis and I'm on the FBI's baseball team. But other than that I don't have much time for hobbies."

"No surprise there."

He snorted. "Yeah well you know how it goes."

She looked at her watch and said, "Well Eppes, I've got to get going. Have to get up early."

He said, "What, 'time to make the doughnuts?'"

She laughed. "Yeah, something like that. Thanks, I hope it was okay I dropped over like this."

"No prob. Anytime." He walked her to the door. "I'm glad you came over." He tucked a stray lock of her curly hair back behind her ear. "Stop by anytime."

She smiled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Shaking her head, she said, "Goodnight, Don." She leaned in and kissed him. His hands went to the sides of her face, pulling her closer to him as he returned her kiss. She pulled out of their kiss and licked her lips. "See ya soon?"

He gave her a thousand watt smile and said, "Yeah, definitely."


	10. Chapter 10

Sunday afternoon in July and Charlie was standing in the kitchen, sweat pouring off his brow. He took another swig of water. Under his left arm he held a basketball.

Alan walked into the kitchen and saw his youngest son leaning up against the counter and his other son at the fridge pulling out a bottle of water.

He smiled at both of them. They looked exhausted from playing one on one for the last forty-five minutes.

"Who won this time?" Alan asked.

"I took it pretty easy on Don this time."

"Hey! What do you mean easy?" He swatted his brother on the side of his head.

Charlie replied, "Ow! You're just mad that I still can still get past you with the same 'fake' after twenty years."

Alan smiled. "Now Charlie, take it easy on your brother. I watched you two play out there and your brother's head wasn't in the game."

Don scowled at his dad. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Yeah Dad, now that you mention it, he has been a little off lately. Almost perky."

Don choked on a sip of water. Between coughs, he sputtered, "Perky?"

Charlie grinned at his brother. "Yeah. I heard one of my students say it earlier and it just seems to fit."

Alan chuckled. "So Don, what's got you so perky?"

"I'm not perky," he replied indignantly. "Nothing's going on."

Alan replied, "I'm your father, Donnie, I can tell something is going on with you." After a moment he gave his other son a bemused look. "I know what it is."

"And that would be?" Charlie said with excitement.

"A woman."

Perturbed, Don said, "Dad! I don't know what you are talking about. I'm not sticking around for any more abuse. I'm gonna go put the game on." Don stalked out of the kitchen.

Charlie looked at his dad and laughed. "Well, I think you struck a nerve."

Alan grinned back. "Told ya it was a woman."

Later on that week, Charlie decided to stop by his brother's after class and see if he wanted to get a bite to eat. As he knocked on the door he heard a woman shriek and laugh, "Put me down."

The door swung open and Don stood there with a body of a woman slung over his shoulder, fireman style. Don started to say, "How much do I owe you for the pizza… Charlie? What are you doing here?"

Don and Charlie stared at each other for a moment, neither of the brothers sure of what to say.

Charlie heard the woman say, "Um, Don, maybe you should put me down?"

"Yeah, okay." Don gently placed her right side up.

Charlie's jaw dropped at the woman who stood before him.

Elisabeth said, "Hi, Dr. Eppes."

Charlie's eyes were large like saucers as he started to ramble to his brother, "Um, Don, I, uh, just thought I would stop by to see if you wanted to get something to eat."

Don gave his brother a rueful smile. "Yeah, umm, we just ordered a pizza, you wanna join us?"

"Uh, I don't think..." Charlie's voice trailed off.

"Come on, join us, Dr. Eppes," said Elisabeth.

Charlie replied, "Uh, okay, but call me Charlie." He stepped into the apartment.

The three of them went into the living room to wait for the pizza.

"You're, uh, one of those operatives?"

"Not anymore, Charlie. Please call me Elisabeth." She extended her hand to him.

He stared at it for a second. Charlie gave her a tentative grin as he shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you, uh, Elisabeth."

At this time the doorbell rang. Elisabeth took off to the door before Don could react. She deftly moved out of Don's grasp. "Too slow, Eppes," she said as she laughed.

Charlie shot a look at his brother and a small grin came over his face. "I guess dad was right. It is a woman."


	11. Chapter 11

Elisabeth walked back into the living room, carrying the pizza. She set it down on the coffee table.

Don stood up and said, "I'm gonna grab some plates, Charlie, you want something to drink? I have water, beer and I think soda?"

"I think I'll take a beer, Don."

"Elisabeth, you want a beer?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." She turned to Charlie. "I hope you like the toppings we got. We got onions and green peppers on one half for your brother and mushrooms for me."

"Um, I'll take a slice of both." Don handed his brother a plate and a beer.

They all put a couple of slices on their plates and started to eat. Charlie sat on one end of the couch and Don sat on the other side. Elisabeth sat on the floor with her legs crossed and she leaned up against couch. Charlie noticed that her shoulder touched Don's leg as she leaned back.

The three of them sat in silence and watched the game. Don swore under his breath at the error the second baseman just made.

Elisabeth said to Don, "I don't know why you are getting yourself all in a tiz. The Dodgers are performing so poorly this year that you would be better off cheering for another team."

"Yeah, what team do you want me to root for?"

She shrugged. "How about the Yankees? They're a pretty good team."

"You really think I could be a Yankees fan? Next thing you'll be telling me is why don't I become a Red Sox fan. I think you've lost your mind."

She laughed. "What do you think, Charlie? Do you think Don should find a new team?"

Charlie replied, "Well, statistically, if he were to watch the Yankees or Red Sox he would find that the percentage of winning games would increase, but he hates both of them too much. Furthermore, for some reason he has a soft spot for the Dodgers."

Elisabeth laughed at Charlie's comment. As the game continued, Charlie watched his brother absentmindedly touch Elisabeth's hair. She leaned in, sighing as she put her head against Don's knee. Charlie's mind whirled with questions. How did these two ever connect? Didn't Don tell him that they were some sort of secret cell and were to remain anonymous? Why did she give him her real name? And wasn't she considered dangerous? He was starting to get a headache from all the thoughts in his head. Charlie was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Don ask Elisabeth, "What team do you root for, Ms. Elisabeth?"

"Uh, sometimes the A's or the Orioles, but I am more of a soccer fan than baseball."

Don wrinkled up his nose and said, "Soccer?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with soccer? And besides, you just asked me two questions, so now you have to answer two of mine."

"Aw, come on. It was more of a statement then a question."

"Nope, not gonna fly. Two questions, Eppes."

Charlie watched the banter between the two and wondered what the heck they were talking about.

Elisabeth, seeing the confused look on Charlie's face, explained, "We have a game going. Every time he or I ask a question to the other we get to ask one back." She smiled devilishly at Charlie and asked, "Any suggestions on what I should ask?"

Don said, "No help. You have to come up with your own questions. No help from anyone or you forfeit the right to ask."

Elisabeth laughed. "You're just afraid your brother will get me to ask something really embarrassing."

Charlie found Elisabeth's laugh infectious and joined her. He thought for a moment and said, "Instead of asking him two questions, I can just tell you a couple of embarrassing stories."

Don yelled, "Hey, don't even think about it!"

Elisabeth laughed heartily at Don's outrage towards his brother. "I knew I liked your brother for a good reason, Don." She beamed a grin at Charlie. She looked down at her watch. "Unfortunately, it's getting late, gentlemen, and I need to go to work a little earlier then usual tomorrow. Charlie, it was nice seeing you again." She stood up and walked towards the door.

"Same here, uh, Elisabeth."

Don accompanied her to the door.

"Sure you have to leave?" he said as he touched her face.

"Yeah, I think so. Besides, I think you need to go talk to your brother. I think his head is going to split in half with all the questions."

Don grunted, "Well, I don't really think it's his business."

She stepped in closer to him and put her arms around his neck. "Well, Don, you are wrong there. Your brother is just worried about you. Think of it from his point of view. He finds you with a woman that he knows to be dangerous and now you are spending time with her. He just wants to know that you're all right. I give you my permission to tell him what you think he should know or not know about me. I trust your discretion." She leaned in and kissed his lips.

Don kissed her back. He kissed her deeply and slid his arms down to the small of her back.

She moaned softly, "Eppes, if you don't stop kissing me like that I am not going to be able to go home."

He murmured in her ear, "That's my plan. Is it working?

Elisabeth whispered back in between kissing him, "Maybe." Finally, pulling herself out of his embrace, she teased, "Can't keep your hands to yourself."

"Oh no, my dear ghost, don't even try that. You're the one who has trouble keeping your hands off of me."

Her cheeks flushed as she laughed. "True. Goodnight. Go talk to your brother." She smiled and left.

Don turned around and prepared himself for the look his brother was going be wearing.

"Hey buddy, you want another beer?"

"Uh, nah, Don, thanks. So..."

Don rolled his eyes at his brother. "Okay, well, what do you want to know?"

"Um, nothing, Don."

"Yeah right, Charlie, I can see the gears in your head. Just ask."

"Um, I thought she was on covert NSA missions and we couldn't know who she was. And then she goes and tells me her real name. What's going on?"

"Okay, well, she doesn't work for them anymore. She quit."

"She quit? Really, can you do that? Why?"

"Charlie, that is something you need to ask her. "

"And you two are or have been..."

"Yes, we've become pretty close. We've spent time together over the last few months."

"Well, why haven't you said anything? Why are you keeping it a secret?"

Don sighed. "Charlie, it isn't a secret. It just… we're still working things out."

"You like her? Are things serious between you two?

"Yeah, Charlie I do." Don shook his head. "As for serious, I don't know. We found some common ground."

"Really, like what?" Charlie couldn't imagine what his brother could have in common with the ex-operative.

"Well, for starters, she lost her mother to cancer a few years back."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He felt his feelings towards Elisabeth soften. Charlie saw that his brother was beginning to get uncomfortable with the conversation when he said, "What does she do now? I mean for work?"

Deadpanned, Don replied, "Pastry chef."

Charlie asked, stunned, "What? You're kidding me."

Don chuckled. "No, I swear I'm not. She's really good."

Charlie laughed with his brother.

Don continued to laugh as he said, "Yeah, my girlfriend can make a hell of pastry and then kill you with her pinky."

Charlie stopped laughing and looked at his brother. "You just called her your girlfriend."

"What? No I didn't."

"Yeah, Don, you did."

"Aw, hell."

Charlie saw the look on his older brother's face and started to laugh at him. "Apparently it's more serious than you want to admit, Don."

Don rubbed his temples.

Charlie's cell phone rang. He picked it up. "Hey, Dad. Not much, just had some pizza with Don and his new girlfriend."

Don bellowed, "Charlie!"

"Uh huh. Oh, okay, Dad, hold on." Charlie looked sheepishly at his brother. "He wants to talk to you."

Don groaned and took the phone from his brother.

"Uh, hi Dad. Uh huh... Well, no, I wasn't... Dad, I was going to, I just haven't had time... I'm a grown man. Yeah... Yeah, fine, I'll ask her."

He gave the phone back to his brother and shot him a dirty look.

"Hi Dad. You did. Oh, okay. Yeah, I will be there. No, I don't think I will be home late. Okay, bye."

Don glared at his brother and said, "You are so dead."

Charlie laughed. "Well, if it keeps dad off my back about Amita, then being dead doesn't sound so bad."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Is that the bakery you keep going on about?" Megan asked.

Colby grinned and replied, "That's the place."

Megan said, "Come on. I'm sick about you going on about the place. You can buy me a cookie or something."

Colby smiled with anticipation. "With pleasure, Agent Reeves."

They both walked into the bakery. The counter girl said, "Hi, what can I get for you?"

Colby joked, "Hey, Auntie Megan, can I have one of those and one of those, oh and one of those, too?"

Megan said in her best Aunt Megan voice, "No, you can only have one. We're having dinner soon."

"Aww shucks. Well I do know this, we better bring some back for David and Don or we will never hear the end of it."

"Good point."

The counter girl handed them their purchases. "We have an out door patio if you would like to sit and eat your purchases."

Megan looked at her watch. "You know, that may not be such a bad idea. We could use a short break."

Colby nodded. "Oh, break time. This is a good day!" They grabbed a small table and sat down to eat their treats.

Megan took a bite of one of the cookies and then gasped, "Oh my god! This is so good."

Colby grinned. "Told ya."

Colby took a bite of the cookie and then started choking. Megan, startled, slapped him on the back and asked, "Colby, are you alright? What's wrong?"

He managed to point his finger at the back door of the bakery between his coughing fits.

Megan looked at where Colby was pointing. Her jaw dropped.

They saw Don standing with his arms around someone that both agents knew all too well. They watched the couple kiss, unaware of the spectators in the outdoor cafe. They saw Don whisper something in the woman's ear, which elicited a slight blush on her face before he kissed her one last time in farewell.

Megan whispered, "Is that who I think it is?"

Colby nodded. "My bruised ego would recognize that woman anywhere."

Megan thought to herself, "So, this explains a lot."

"Come on, Colby, I think we should head back to the office."

Colby and Megan walked into the bullpen and found Charlie talking to Don.

Colby murmured to Megan, "Are we going to say anything?"

Megan's face broke out in to a smile. "Let me handle it."

Megan gave a warm smile to Charlie. "Hi, Charlie. How are you?"

Charlie smiled at Megan. "Megan, great. You?"

"I'm really good Charlie, but not as well as your brother." She smiled and said, "So, Don, how was your lunch today?"

"Uh, fine, Megan." He gave her a perplexed look.

She gave him a sly smile. "So at lunch today Colby and I found out something."

"Yeah?"

"Apparently our parents lied all these years. Yes Don, there is a Santa Claus." With an even bigger smile she dramatically pointed to the bag that Colby held up from the bakery. "Granger and I witnessed an event earlier. Apparently you like the same bakery and a certain dark haired operative there, too. Want to tell us about it?"

Don face turned red. He covered his face and mumbled, "Aw, hell."

Charlie laughed at his brother's embarrassment. "You've been found out, Don."

Megan and Colby laughed along with Charlie.

David walked over to the group. "Hey, what's so funny? Don, you okay? Your face is awfully red."

With David's seemingly innocent comment, both agents and Charlie broke out into more laughter.


	13. Chapter 13 & 14

Chapter 13

"Don't tell me you're drooling over that guy?" He handed her a dinner plate. He sat down to watch the movie they had rented.

Elisabeth grinned. "Jealous?"

"No."

"Uh huh." Amused, she said, "Would you rather I drool over Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise?"

Surprised, Don replied, "You don't like either of them? I thought all women liked them."

Elisabeth scrunched up her face. "Not me. Cruise is a little too crazy for me and Mission: Impossible is too much like my old job."

Don chuckled.

Elisabeth continued, "As for Pitt, I don't like men that aren't faithful. Now him, I like." She pointed to actor Nathan Fillion and waggled her eyebrows. Her eyes gleamed as she leaned in to ask, "So who do you think is hot?"

"Ex-operatives that are now bakers," Don replied dryly.

"Stop sucking up."

Don laughed. "Okay, umm, Rene Russo, Heidi Klum, maybe Cameron Diaz."

"So no Angelina Jolie or Jessica Simpson?" she replied with an arched eyebrow.

Don said, "Jolie's okay and who is Jessica Simpson?"

Elisabeth laughed. "You have good taste in women."

He kissed her on the side of her head. "I know."

Laughing, they both dug into dinner. Don said, "This is good." He pointed towards the pasta he was eating. "Thanks for cooking."

She grinned. "No problem. So how was your day thwarting evildoers?"

Don snorted.

"What?"

He simply stated, "They know."

"Uh, what are you talking about?"

"Megan, Colby and David. They know about us." He pointed at the two of them using his fork.

"Oh," she said as she looked down at her plate.

"Yeah, Megan and Colby went by the bakery and they saw me..." He coughed. "Uh, talking to you the other day."

"Talking? Why would they think there was something between us?"

He looked deadpan at her for a moment till realization crept over her face.

"Ah, they saw you kiss me." She started to laugh. "Well, I guess there was no way to talk your way out of that."

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Is that a problem for you?" she asked hesitantly.

He turned and looked, finding her face unreadable. "Nah. Certainly not. Just, they had a lot of questions and Colby kept giving me funny looks for the rest of the day."

She gave him a small smile. "I can imagine."

"I think he was checking me for bruises. I think he thinks you beat me into going out with you."

She started to laugh, almost spitting out her mouthful of pasta. "Nope, I just lured you in with the best cupcakes you ever had."

Don gave his best lecherous look. "Among other things."

Elisabeth chuckled. "Yes, among other things." She stood up. "You finished?"

"Yup. Hey, I can do that."

"Nah." She took his plate before walking to the kitchen. "It's my turn anyway."

Don sighed. He was glad that his team knew now. It was a small weight off his shoulders. It wasn't that their relationship was a secret, he just wasn't sure how serious they were getting. He watched her lithe figure when she returned. Her strong arms were exposed from the tank top she was wearing, showing off her floral shoulder tattoo plus a thin scar on her bicep. Over the last few months Don had learned every inch of her smooth skin. He knew every ticklish spot on her and how hard she tried to stifle the giggles she would emit when he would pin her down and tickle her. She snuggled against Don on the couch after pulling her hair out of its holder. He reached out and touched a lock of her hair. He liked it when she wore it loose, allowing him to be able to run his fingers through it in intimate moments. Don was finding himself thinking of her more and more when he least expected it. He realized that he was becoming more serious about her faster than he usually allowed himself.

"You know, my brother told my dad about you. He was never good at keeping secrets." He quickly added, "Uh, not that you are a secret or anything."

She looked up at him. "Eppes, you just keep digging that hole."

"Yeah, well my dad wanted to know when he would get to meet you, my girlfriend."

She became quiet at Don's last comment. "Don, I don't think I'm the kind of girl you take home to meet one's parents."

"Why? You're not that person anymore."

She gave him an annoyed look. "You're wrong, Don. What I was will always be a part of me, it's just the truth." She asked tentatively, "So you want to introduce me to your dad?"

"Yeah, I do."

"You sure?" she said softly.

"Yeah, I am." He took her hands in his and looked her in the eye.

She took her hands out of his before standing up and sauntering to the bedroom. She leaned on the door frame and gave him a wry grin. "So I'm your girlfriend, huh? How come I'm the last to know?"

"Well, let me see if I can explain that one," he said as he slowly walked over. He gave her a feral grin before grabbing her and throwing her over his shoulder. Don half expected her instincts to kick in and send him crashing to the floor with her knee lodged in the center of his chest.

"Hey, put me down, you Neanderthal!" she said with a yelp.

"Not until you say that you're my girlfriend," he said, tossing her on the bed and pinning her beneath him.

Giggling, she said, "Never!" She struggled only half-heartedly.

He kissed her deeply before pulling back. "Never is a long time, my dear." He proceeded to tickle her.

"Stop, you damn Fed."

"Not until you say it." He poked her in the middle to tickle her more.

"No. No, I won't, I've been trained to withstand torture."

He laughed with her. "Not this kind of torture." He pinned her arms above her head.

She stopped giggling and looked him straight in the eye. "Okay. Okay, I'm your girlfriend. Happy now?"

He released his grip on her arms as he said, "Yes. See, that wasn't so hard."

He leaned down to kiss her but was met with a pillow smacking him in the face.

Chapter 14

It was around midnight and Elisabeth quietly wiggled out of Don's arms, doing her best not to wake him. She began to silently gather her clothes when Don noticed she was not in bed with him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Don said, bleary-eyed.

"What's it look like I'm doing, Fed? You're one hell of an investigator."

He snorted and rolled over to his back. "Why do you always leave? It's not like you can't stay."

She sat down on the foot of the bed to put her socks on. "'Cause you've never asked me to stay."

He sighed. "You can be so difficult."

"Yup, I know." After sliding on her jeans, she looked around for her shirt.

Don cleared his throat. "Stay. I mean, I'd like you to stay now and any other time."

She simply stated, "No."

"No?"

"You snore."

"Well, you steal the blankets," he countered. "So how about it? You gonna stay or not?"

Elisabeth looked at him. He could see her features in the moonlight as she tried to decide what to do. He could almost hear the gears in her head turning. "Okay, but let me have one of your t-shirts to sleep in."

He chuckled. "Now who said anything about sleeping?"

"Ha ha ha ha. Sleeping is what I plan to do."

He pretended to pout. "You're no fun." He handed her one of his old FBI t-shirts. "I meant to tell you earlier that I told my dad we would come over at the end of the week, maybe Saturday, for dinner."

Don heard the note of trepidation in her voice when she replied, "Alright, if you think it will be okay." She slid under the covers, waiting for him to join her.

"Elisabeth, it will be fine. He's just one man." He slid next to her and pulled her in closer to him, having her lay her head on his chest. She snuggled in with a sigh before closing her eyes. He put his other arm around her and he closed his eyes. Don's lips curled up as he opened one of his eyes and said, "You sure we have to just sleep?"

"Goodnight, Fed!"

For the third time Elisabeth asked, "You sure I look okay?" She smoothed down her hair and checked her appearance in the mirror.

Don bit his lip so as not to laugh. "For the third and final time, yes. You look fine. You look perfect. Lovely. Perfect. What more can I say?"

"You don't think this dress is too low cut? I don't want your dad to think I'm a slut or anything..." she asked as she picked at the bodice.

Don checked his side view mirror before changing lanes. "Your dress is fine. My dad will not think you are a slut. Actually, he probably would be alright with you being a slut, 'cause he would consider that as a step closer to him getting grandchildren." He cast a quick look over at Elisabeth and saw her face drain of color. His attempt at humor had bombed. "I like the dress. It looks nice on you, so stop fretting. You sure you were a covert op, 'cause you are really frazzled about meeting one man. Ah, we're here."

At the front door Don called out, "Hey, Dad, Charlie, we're here!"

"Donnie, you're here." Alan hurried into the living room. "Ah, you must be Elisabeth."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Eppes."

"Please call me Alan."

Elisabeth nodded her head. "I brought a chocolate cheesecake." She held up the cake holder.

"Cheesecake, huh? Donnie, I already like this girl. Come sit down, dinner is just about done. Go get your brother out of the garage for dinner?"

"Yeah, sure, Dad." He gave a reassuring look to Elisabeth before going to the garage.

She gave him a small smile before she followed Alan into the dining room.

"Elisabeth, why don't you sit here? I'll go put the cake into the fridge."

"Mr. Eppes, er, I mean Alan, can I help you with anything?"

He smiled at her. "No, everything is done. I hope you like rib eye. It's Donnie's favorite." He stopped before walking into the kitchen. "Uh, you're not a vegetarian, are you?"

Elisabeth gave Alan a puzzled look and said, "No, I pretty much each anything except duck."

"Oh, okay, no duck. I will definitely remember that." Alan walked back in with the bread and a salad. "Donnie told me that you are a chef."

She replied, "Yes, pastry chef. I work at Conti's down on Culver."

"That's a good bakery. Haven't been there in a while. Trying to watch what I eat." He patted his stomach. "Not doing a good job of it so far."

Elisabeth smiled at Alan's comment. "I taste just about everything I make, so I work out as much as possible."

"Well, to look at you I would never guess you indulge in sweets."

At this time Don came in, followed by Charlie. "Who, her? She has the biggest sweet tooth you could imagine."

She laughed. "It's true. I love sweets." She grinned. "Hi, Charlie."

Charlie smiled. "Hi, Elle. I mean Elisabeth."

"Either's fine, Charlie," she answered.

Alan said, "I think we have everything here. Time to dig in."

Alan looked at his son for a minute and said, "Well, Donnie hasn't told me too much about you. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I don't, I'm an only child." She mused, "When I was little I wanted a sister. No... actually, I think I wanted a brother."

Don said dryly, "Well, trust me, having a brother isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Charlie said, "Hey! I was a great brother."

"Yeah, always going through my stuff."

"You had cool stuff."

Alan gave a bemused look to his two sons before asking, "How did you two meet?"

"Um, we met..." Don looked at Elisabeth.

"At my bakery. We met at the bakery."

"Ah, sounds nice," said Alan.

Charlie tried to stifle his laughter under his hand, which made him start to cough.

"Charlie, you alright?" Alan said as he smacked Charlie's back.

Between coughs, Charlie said, "Yeah, Dad, I'm good. Just swallowed wrong."

"Alan, Don told me that you were a city planner. What exactly is that?"

Don nodded thanks to Elisabeth for getting his dad to talk about something more than how they met. He didn't think his dad needed to know his girlfriend was a former covert op who could probably take down a small army by herself. Don listened to his dad talk during dinner and fielded the usual twenty questions that Alan always liked to ask; before they knew it, dinner was over. Alan offered to show Elisabeth around the house while the boys cleaned up.

"This is a lovely home, Mr. Eppes," she said as she walked into the solarium.

"Thank you. I kind of like it, too." He winked at her. "You must be something special, Elisabeth, for my son to agree to bring you over to meet his old man. He usually keeps his personal life and his family at arm's length."

Elisabeth gave a small smile to Alan. "Yeah, that sounds like Don."

He smiled at the woman. "I hope I'm not embarrassing you, but I can tell you're quite fond of my son and he of you."

"Yeah, well, your son is a good guy. I'm lucky we got to know each other."

"That he is. Well, I am sure it is more than just luck that brought you two together. Let's go back and have coffee. I can't wait to try some of that cheesecake."

They found both of the brothers sitting in the living room talking.

Don asked, "So did my father interrogate you enough?"

"Nope, not at all. Actually, he said something about seeing your baby pictures," she said with a large grin.

"Dad, don't you even dare."

Alan laughed. "That is something for after dessert. Don, why don't you help me put the dessert together? Elisabeth, why don't you sit here with Charlie?"

Alan pulled out the coffee cups as he told Don to get the dessert dishes out. After a moment he said, "I like her."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, Elisabeth. Me too."

Amused, Alan said, "I can see why you like her so much, Donnie. She's quite the looker and seems very nice." He squeezed Don's shoulder. "I see that she adores you, so I hope you don't screw this one up."

"Dad," Don said as he sighed. "I don't plan on screwing this one up."

"Good, because I see a lot of potential for both of you. She seems like a good match for you, Donnie."

"Dad, come on, why do you say these things?" Annoyance crept into his voice.

"Call it fatherly intuition, and you have said it yourself about sometimes sabotaging your relationships. But I want to say something--since you have been seeing her, what, a few months, I don't think I have ever seen you as relaxed and as happy. She has a good effect on you and as your father I don't want to see it go away."

Don turned to him and said, "Yeah, sure, Dad. I like the way things are and I don't want to screw it up, as you so glibly like to put it."

"I just don't want you to wait too long to move things along," Alan answered almost wistfully. "Time has a way of slipping through one's fingers and happiness can be hard to find, son."

On the way back from the powder room, Elisabeth listened in to the conversation on the other side of the door for a moment.

"Did you find the powder room alright?" Charlie asked when she came back to sit down with him.

"Yeah, thanks." A weird look passed over her face.

Alan called from the dining room, "Why don't you two join us in the dining room, coffee is ready."

When they joined them, he asked, "How do you take your coffee, Elisabeth?"

Before she could answer, Don said, "She takes it black."

"Yeah black." She echoed somewhat uncomfortably.

"Okay, my dear, here you go." Alan handed her the coffee. He then sliced a piece of the cake for everyone.

"Oh, this is really good, Elisabeth. I think I may have to come by the bakery."

She gave a smile to Alan and nodded.

After dessert Don and Elisabeth stood by the koi pond. He wrapped his arm around her when she said, "Your dad's really nice."

"Yeah, thanks. He really is great."

"So do you think I make the grade?"

Don chuckled. "Yeah, I think you did. He told me not screw it up."

She laughed softly. "I see your dad has a lot of faith in you."

Don sighed slightly. "Yeah, I guess I don't have the best track record in the woman department."

She snorted. "Who does?"

Don turned her around to look at him. "Um, I've been thinking about something that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yeah? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, but I was thinking maybe you could move some of your stuff in and maybe make staying there more permanent. You would be closer to the bakery and no more leaving in the middle of the night since you would be home. I know it's sort of sudden, but I really like it when you're there to come home to."

Elisabeth's jaw dropped as she stared at Don.

"Uh, Elisabeth?" He touched the side of her face.

"Umm, I, uh. I don't know. Can I think about it?"

Don's disappointment tinged his voice. "Yeah, okay. Take your time."

"Thanks." She looked at her watch. "Do you think you could take me home now? It's getting late and I'm getting really tired."

"Yeah, sure, if that is what you want."

On the car ride to her place they sat in silence. Don watched her out of the corner of his eye; she seemed lost in her own thoughts. Something had changed in her since they left his brother's and it started to gnaw at his mind. She seemed almost distant. They pulled up in front of her apartment complex.

Don took a deep breath and said, "Listen I don't want to pressure you or anything. Take your time. I just think it would be great to wake up with you every morning. We can wait to do that. So no pressure."

They sat in silence for a moment. Elisabeth looked down at her hands, not looking at Don. She took a deep breath and said, "No."

"No, what?" he asked, confused.

"We can't move in together."

He looked stunned. "Wait, what's going on, Elisabeth?"

Her voice was tiny when she said, "Listen, Eppes, I can't move in with you. I also think we shouldn't see each other anymore. I don't think it's gonna work out. Take care of yourself," she said as she jumped out of the car and dashed into the complex.

Don just sat there in silence. He couldn't believe it! She broke up with him. His mind tried to process what had just happened. _Why? I don't get it. Everything was going so well._ He put his head down on the steering wheel and closed his eyes. Should he try to talk to her? Feeling anger bubbling, he said out loud to the night, "No, to hell with her."

He put his car in drive and drove home alone. As usual, Don let his pride get in the way of trying find out what was going on.

Once inside of her apartment, Elisabeth fell to the floor and let out a sob. She knew that she had to do it. Things were moving way too fast for her to process. She had to break his heart now so she wouldn't damage it later. She was no good for him damaged, what she did was for the best. Her sobs started to get louder and threaten to overwhelm her. She bit down on her fist to try to make them stop.

She heard a voice from the kitchen say, "Girl, what did you go and do now?"

She retorted angrily, as she stood up, "None of your business."

Mario, clad in his pajamas, stepped out of the kitchen and looked at his friend. "You broke up with him. Why are you so damn foolish?"

"Leave me alone," she said as she walked into her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Mario padded back into the kitchen. He thought, "She is more stubborn than the mules my daddy had on the farm." He poured himself a glass of milk. He said out loud to the air, "Eppes, ya poor bastard."


	14. Chapter 15 & 16

Colby, did you get that forensic report yet?" Don barked out. His eyes were cold.

"No, Don. Uh, I haven't heard from the coroner's office."

"Well, get on the phone and tell them to stop fooling around. I want that report now," Don snapped at Colby. "I am going to see Charlie at CalSci and see if his equation has turned up anything."

Don stalked out of the office.

Colby, puzzled, asked Megan, "What was that all about?"

Shaking her head, Megan replied, "Not sure, but I have an idea."

Colby shrugged and went back to his desk to call the coroner.  
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------  
Don walked into Charlie's office and found Larry staring at the blackboard.

"Hey, Larry. Have you seen my brother?"

Larry turned slowly to look at Don, his hands tapping his chin. "Ah, Don. He said he would be right back. He went to check his mailbox."

Suppressing a sigh, Don said, "Okay. How are you two progressing on the equation?"

Larry mused, "What one may call progression, others may call a stumbling block."

Don's eyebrows knitted together. "What?"

"What Larry means to say is that they found a corrupt set in the data and they are reworking the numbers."

Both men looked up to see Amita standing at the door. "Hi Don, Larry. Charlie's not here?" she said with a small smile.

Larry answered, "No, he said he would be right back."

She tilted her head and bit her lip. "Okay, well, tell him I stopped by and I'll talk to him later." She waved goodbye and left the office.

Don said to no one in particular, "I see that dance hasn't gone anywhere."

Larry nodded. "I don't think either of them knows who should lead or if they are dancing the foxtrot or salsa."

Don shook his head at his brother's love life, or lack thereof. At least Charlie seemed to still have a chance with Amita, since she had stayed in California and at CalSci.

"Your brother mentioned that your own dance with the baker has hit a sour note," Larry stated, looking kindly at Don.

Don, annoyed, muttered, "Great, my brother's talking about my love life."

Larry shook his head. "No, no, it wasn't so much talking as I mentioned that I enjoyed the cookies he picked up from the bakery and he said that you two were no longer together."

Don, unable to keep a trace of anger out of his voice, replied, "Yeah, well, things don't always go as planned."

"Don, if I may offer a piece of advice." He tapped his jaw again. "They say a good baker knows when to let the dough rise and when it needs to be worked on. You just have decide on which one you need to do."

Don blinked twice before responding to Larry's comment, saying, "Yeah, uh, thanks, Larry. Can you just tell Charlie I stopped by?"

"With pleasure," Larry replied as his eyes went back to looking at the blackboard.

Later on that evening, Don was staring at the empty contents in the fridge and noticed that all that was in there was the food that Elisabeth had kept there, a bag of shriveled up apples, one of her organic yogurts and the last bottle of his favorite beer. He grabbed the beer out of the fridge and decided to order takeout when his cell phone rang. He growled, "Eppes." On the other end he heard a voice struggling to talk.  
"Fed. Please..."

"Elisabeth?"

"It's..."

"What's wrong? Can you hear me? Elisabeth?"

She managed to say one last thing, "... Help," before the line went dead. Dropping the takeout menu, Don grabbed his keys, badge and gun and ran out to his car. He drove as fast as he could over to her place.

He ran to the door and saw the door wide open. One of the neighbors opened their door and looked curiously about. Don saw the woman and ordered her, "Call the police, go back inside and lock the door." She nodded at him as he flashed his badge. He took out his gun and silently walked into the apartment. He checked the kitchen first; it was empty. He slowly walked into the living room of the apartment in the room. Don was met with the sight of two men on the floor. A few feet away he saw Elisabeth lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding, with a cell phone clutched in her hand.

"Elisabeth?" He immediately went to her side, checking her pulse when he heard a voice mumble, "Is that you, Eppes?"  
Don turned his head towards the voice and saw the man he knew to be Mario from Elisabeth's old team badly beaten and lying on the floor.

"Mario, what happened here?"

Before he could answer, Don heard someone yell, "Police."

He put his hands in the air and said, "In here. I'm Special Agent Don Eppes."

After the police cleared him, they began to ask what had happened. Don told them what little he knew and that Elisabeth was a friend of his and had called him before passing out. He handed one of the officers his card and told them if they needed anything else to call him but he wanted to check on his friend. He watched the medics come in and begin to assess the wounded. He walked slowly over to the one that was checking Elisabeth when the medics recognized Don and said, "Agent Eppes?"

"Yeah, hi, Carson." Don nodded in his direction while he watched them load her on the gurney. "Mind if I ride along?"

"You know the vic?" Carson replied.

"Yeah, you could say that," he replied, feeling numb.

The medic, not missing the look on Don's face, said, "Yeah, she's stable so you can ride with us."

Don climbed into the ambulance, sitting in silence while Carson kept an eye on his charge. At the hospital Don watched them take  
Elisabeth away into an exam room. Not even a minute later the stretcher with Mario was wheeled in. He flashed his badge at the physician and told him that he would like to speak with Mario when they were done attending to his wounds.

He waited in the waiting room. His mind kept whirling with thoughts. What the hell happened? Why was Mario at her apartment? Who the hell were those two other guys?

A nurse in green scrubs came in and said, "Excuse me, Agent Eppes?"

Don turned. "Yes."

"You can speak to Mr. Thompson now."

"Thompson?"

"Yes, Matthew Thompson. He said that you call him Mario."

"Oh yes, thanks. Excuse me, nurse, any word on Elisabeth Grier?"

"No sir, they are still examining her. I'll have someone keep you posted."

He nodded and went over to talk to Matthew Thompson.

Don walked into the room where the man he knew to be called Mario was. His shirt was off and he had a bandage over his right shoulder. He had a large bruise forming on his left temple and a laceration on his head to match.

"Eppes," Mario said. "Been a while."

"You could say that."

The two stared at each other in stony silence till Mario spoke first. "I guess you want to know what happened, huh?"

Don nodded.

Mario fiddled with a bandage on his hand. "Any word on Elle?"

"I don't know her status. The nurse said she'd let me know."

Mario muttered to himself, "That woman has saved my life again. Now I really owe her." He nodded and sighed back into the pillow. "Sorry about her breaking up with you. Told her it was damn foolish."

Don said nothing, not dropping his stone mask once. "She called me for help; when I got there the two of you were laying in your blood with two other men."

"Both of them dead?" he said as he licked his lips.

"Yeah."

"Good." His eyes flickered in anger.

Annoyed for Mario to get on with the story, he said, "Who the hell were they?"

"One of them was the Director and the other was a goon." He saw the puzzled look on Don's face. "I guess I should start from the beginning. The man called the Director was our old boss." Seeing the surprised look on Don's face he continued, "I guess she didn't tell you." He shook his head. "So smart but yet so foolish. I quit working for them about two weeks ago and Elle was letting me crash till I could save up some cash for a place of my own. The Director I guess decided he didn't like me and Elle quitting and came over to show us the 'error of our ways,' if you get what I mean. Can you hand me that cup? I think I need some water."

Don quickly handed it to Mario, waiting while he took a long sip of water. He cleared his throat and began talking again. "Anyway, Elle was out jogging when the Director and that other guy showed up and started working me over. I guess I blacked out under their tender care for a bit, but when I came to I saw Elle going toe to toe with the Director." He said almost wistfully, "God, I love watching that woman work."

The nurse came in before Don could ask Mario any further questions. "Excuse me, Agent Eppes, but I have some information on Ms. Grier."  
Don exchanged apprehensive looks with Mario before turning his attention to the nurse.

"She suffered a bruised lung, two cracked ribs, and some broken fingers."

Don walked over to the nurse. "Can I see her?"

The nurse, not missing the undertones of concern that Don had for the woman, said, "She's being moved to a room. The doctor prescribed a sedative to keep her comfortable. She's not awake at this time." Seeing the concern on Don's face, she added, "You can sit with her in the exam room till we move her upstairs."

Don got up to follow the nurse out when Mario said, "Do you know why she broke up with you?"

Don stopped and just stared at the injured man.

"No? I didn't think so. She broke up with you 'cause she was afraid."

Don looked skeptically at him. "Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"Yeah, afraid of so many things. Afraid of her feelings for you, afraid of where that was leading her." Mario looked Don straight in the eyes. "Eppes, she also was afraid of hurting you."

"Hurting me?" Shaking his head, he tried to digest what Mario had said.

"You're a lucky man, Eppes, 'cause I know for a fact that she's in love with you. She would never admit it, but it's true. You're just what she needs and I hope you can swallow your pride and try to work things out with her."

Tersely he answered, "Yeah, well, I think we are way past getting back together."

Mario snorted, "Yeah, don't be too sure." Not able to hold Don's look any longer, he said finally, "If I had any chance with her I wouldn't have told you that stuff, but I don't. If she would let me love her I would, but she loves you, Eppes, and I'm damn jealous."

Don walked out of the room, glancing one more time at a broken, pained man.

He walked into the exam room and saw that she was indeed asleep. She had a tube in her nose and an IV hooked up into her left arm.  
Her left hand was bandaged and she had a bandage on her head. He touched the side of her face and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

He pulled out the chair next to the bed and laid his hand gently on top of hers.

An hour or so had passed when the doctor came in to check on his patient.

Don had fallen asleep in the chair. His eyes opened immediately when the doctor came in.

The doctor looked down at her chart and turned towards him. "I'm Doctor Morris. Are you family?"

He rubbed the remnants of sleep off his face and replied, "No, she doesn't have any."

Dr. Morris glanced at the gun and badge that Don wore and asked, "You the agent in charge of this case?"

"Um, yeah, sure."

The doctor glanced back at Don again but decided to go on speaking. "We'll be moving her to a room shortly."  
Don looked at Elisabeth as he asked the doctor, "Is she going to be alright?"

"We are admitting her for observation for her lung for a day or so. We want to make sure that lung doesn't give her any problems, but I don't anticipate that it will. Is there anyone who can stay with her when she's released? She's going to be in a lot of pain for awhile and she is going to need help with mobility."

"Um, yeah. I'm a friend of hers. She'll probably stay with me."

The doctor nodded. "Okay, well you need to go home and get some rest. You'll be no good to her if you aren't well yourself. Can you stop by the nurses station to help them with her personal information before you leave?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll do that." After speaking to Admissions he started to go out to the parking lot and realized that he didn't have his car here. Swearing to himself, he took out his cell phone.

"Hi, Dad. Sorry to call you at this late hour, but can you give me a ride from the hospital? Dad, calm down. I'm fine and no one on the team is hurt either. My car? I left it at Elisabeth's. No, we did not patch things up. Who's hurt? That's a long story, but it's Elisabeth. Dad, I really don't want to discuss it over the phone. Can you just come and get me? Okay, well, they are going to admit her, so I will be up in her room. It's 526. I'll see you when you get here. Okay, see you in twenty."

Alan found his son sitting beside a very banged up looking Elisabeth. With concern in his voice, he said, "Donnie?"

His voice was weary when he spoke. "Hey, Dad. Thanks for coming to get me."

"Sure, anytime. Is she going to be alright?"

"Yeah."

Alan touched Don's shoulder. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No, not really. I'm just..."

"I know, Don. She's in good hands here. I'm sure once she's better, you two can work things out."

"I don't know, Dad."

"You wouldn't be looking at her like that if you didn't want to at least try. Come on, I'll take you back to the house. We can go get your car in the morning after breakfast." He placed a hand on Don's shoulder and led him down to the elevators. 

Chapter 16

Elisabeth opened her eyes and tried to move. She hissed in pain. "What the...?" She tried to think where she was. "Oh, yeah. Hospital."

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty's awake?"

Elisabeth looked over towards the voice that had spoken. It was Mario. He was sitting in a wheelchair next to her bed. She grimaced in pain. "Great, the first thing I have to wake up to is your ugly mug."

He snorted. "Argh, don't me laugh, woman. Injured man here."

"Hmm? It looks like you're better off than I am."

"Yeah, about that. Thanks."

She nodded. "Anytime." She hissed again in pain. "On second thought, never again. You're on your own."

"I'll remember that. So, I see that your boyfriend sent you flowers."

She followed his finger where he pointed. There was a vase with purple irises and daisies on a table with one red rose in the center. "He's not my boyfriend."

Sighing in annoyance, Mario replied, "Don't be a fool, woman. You love him as much as he loves you."

"Mario," she warned.

"Naw, not this time, Elle. I'm not going to stay silent. Don't screw this up. That Fed loves you and you love him. You have a chance at a future with someone and you go and throw it all away. Well, I ain't having it. When he shows up here, which we both know he will, you better beg for him to take you back. Hell, I'll beg him for you." He wheeled his way out of the room, mumbling, "Fool woman."

She rubbed her temples and sighed back into the pillows. She looked at the flowers that he had sent.

"You want to read the card, honey?"

Elisabeth looked up and saw that a nurse had come in.

She cleared her throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I would."

The nurse smiled at Elisabeth as she chattered on, "Well, those are some pretty flowers, if I say so." She handed the card to Elisabeth. "I'm your nurse for the day. My name is Jo. I'm gonna take your vitals and then help you to freshen up."

Elisabeth nodded as she read the card. It read simply:

_  
My thoughts are never far from you. _

_The Fed. _

_P.S. where's my cupcake?_

She felt tears forming in her eyes and tried hard to blink them back.

Handing her a tissue, the nurse kindly said, "Okay, let's get you to the bathroom. Your friend brought some things from your place--a change of pajamas and toiletries."

"What? I'm sorry, what friend?"

"The FBI agent, the one who brought you the flowers. He sat here for a couple of hours earlier this morning while you were sleeping."

Surprised, she said, "He did?"

"He sure did." The nurse nodded at Elisabeth. "The agent your boyfriend?"

"Uh, after the way I treated him, probably not."

"Well, the way he sat and watched you, I have a feeling that he thinks otherwise." Jo started prepping to help Elisabeth out of the bed. "I think you just gotta give it a chance. Okay, you ready to walk to the bathroom?"

Elisabeth stood up with Jo's help and groaned in pain. "After I get you back in bed, I'll get you more pain medicine." Once in the bathroom, the nurse said, "Okay, I'm going to help you wash off."

"Jo, please. Please let me try myself. I promise I will call out if I need you. Please?"

She nodded. "Okay, you can sit there on that ledge in the shower. I'll change the dressing on your hand and chest when you come out. I'm going to leave the door open a crack, but you go and give a yell if you need me." Jo helped her out of the hospital gown and maneuvered the IV pole out of the way so Elisabeth could take a quick shower.

Elisabeth stepped gently into the shower but grunted in pain. She sat on the ledge and allowed the warm shower water to pulse over her for a moment. She took out the soap from the toiletry bag and washed up quickly since the pain was becoming intense. She washed gently over her abdomen and chest, her hands gentle on the dark bruises. She squeezed a small amount of shampoo out and washed her hair. She rinsed off. The shower must have taken her only about five minutes, but to her body it felt like an eternity.

She turned off the water and knew she would not be able to make it any further without help. "Jo? I think I need help now."

The nurse smiled. "Okay, here, let me help you dry off."

Jo helped her put on a nightgown out of the overnight bag Don had brought for her. She helped her back into her bed and helped combed out her wet hair. "Would you like me to braid you hair so it won't bother you?"

"Yes, I'd like that."

Jo finished tying back Elisabeth's hair and pulled up the blankets. "Pretty as a picture."

Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "Yeah, real pretty."

The doctor stepped in to check on her while the nurse was re-wrapping the bandages on Elle's fingers. He also updated her on her condition. He added he would be back later to check on her, before leaving with a reassuring smile.

Jo came back into the room with a water pitcher and a cup. "You slept through lunch, but dinner will be passed around soon. I'll be back with a snack and some juice if you'd like."

"Yes, please."

There was a knock at the door and Don said, "Can I come in?"

Unable to look Don in the eye, she said, "Yeah, sure."

Jo gave Elisabeth a reassuring smile. "I'll be back in a bit." She patted her patient on the hand and stepped out of the room.

Don gave Elisabeth a tentative smile. "Hey."

"Hey yourself."

He stepped further into the room. "How you feeling?"

"Like a Mack truck hit me and then backed over me five or six times."

"Still cracking jokes, I see." His lips twitched at her comment.

"Yeah, well, you know me."

Don wondered to himself, "Do I?"

Feeling the unspoken thought, she looked away for a second before saying, "Um, thank you for the flowers. I love them, they're beautiful."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like them."

"Of course I do. You remembered what my favorites are. That is really sweet."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I'm not a totally inept boyfriend."

She picked at her blanket . "You sure you still want call yourself that?"

He sat on the edge of her bed and said, "If you want me to." He took her hand and brought it to his lips.

"Thanks again for coming when I called."

"Changing the subject, I see?"

"Yup. Yup, that's clearly my plan."

He let out a little snort. "Have you talked to the doctor yet?"

"Yeah, he said I should be let out in a day or so."

"Yeah, he mentioned that to me. He also said that you would maybe need to stay with a friend for a few days since you would be in a lot of pain and need some help getting around. I told him that you would probably stay with me."

"You did?" She looked at him.

"Yeah, I did. I mean, only if you want to."

There was a long pause before she answered, "Yeah, I'd like that. I mean, if you're okay with it."

"I am."

They sat in silence for awhile, barely meeting each other's eyes, till finally Don spoke. "Maybe when you are feeling up to things, we can talk about us. No pressure or anything, just talking."

Elisabeth said quietly, "I am so sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Wiping the tears that had spilled down her face, he whispered in her ear, "How could I not?"

"Don, I want to tell you something. I... uh..." She stopped talking, her voice caught in her throat.

Don understood what she was struggling to tell him. He put his finger to her lips. "I know. Me too, ghost. Me too."


	15. Chapter 17 & 18

Chapter 17

It had been a couple of weeks since the attack on Elisabeth and Mario at her apartment. She had returned to work and had almost resumed her old daily routine. She still wasn't able to do her usual workout but she was getting stronger everyday. She had stopped at the gym and done some time on the treadmill and taken one of the Pilates classes before heading over to Don's. She unlocked the door and stepped into his apartment. She put her bag down on the counter and grabbed a bottle of water.

She looked at the clock; it read a few minutes after 5:30. She decided to hop in the shower before starting dinner. She walked through the living room towards the bathroom. She glanced at the painting she had given Don after she had come home from the hospital. It was a sort of compromise to him for not moving in to his place. She still kept her own apartment, but she only spent two or three nights a week there. The painting was of a vase of flowers sitting in sunlight on a table. It had been her mother's. She remembered when she gave it to him.

"_This is for your apartment."_

_  
He took the bulky package from her and took off the brown paper. He smiled. "Isn't this from your place?"_

"_Yeah, I figured your place could use a little sprucing up, and besides, it will make you think of me when I'm not around."_

"_Not around, huh? So this means you're not going to move in?"_

_  
She touched his arm. "No, I just can't." She saw the hurt in his face and hurriedly said, "But give me time, okay?"_

_  
He nodded and said, "Okay."_

After she showered she walked into the kitchen and started pulling out items to make dinner. She figured he would probably be home late so she would have dinner without him and put something aside for him. She smiled wryly to herself. "How do I always get stuck making dinner?"

At about 8:45 Don came in, dropping his keys off in the bowl near the mail. He heard Elisabeth call out, "There's some dinner in the fridge."

Don's stomach growled at the idea of food; he went to the fridge, grabbed the wrapped plate and put it in the microwave. After it was heated he grabbed a beer and wandered into the living room to sit with Elisabeth. Don gave her a tired smile as he sat down next to her. "Thanks for dinner. Been here long?"

"Welcome. Um, not long, I guess a couple of hours."

"You didn't have to wait for me."

"I know."

He sighed and started to eat. "What are you reading?"

She showed him the cover, which read: Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly. He asked, "Romance?"

She gave him a withering look. "Do I look like the type to read romance novels?" Not waiting for his reply, she said, "It's a compilation of essays on the show Firefly."

"Sounds interesting."

"It is." She looked hard at him. "Tough case?"

He exhaled a sharp breath. "Yeah."

"Charlie working on it with you?"

"Yup."

"Are you doing everything you can?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he answered her, trying to keep the hopelessness out of his voice.

"Then let it go for the next few hours." She added, "'cause worrying about it isn't going to solve it."

Don smirked. "Was that your old motto--_let it go_? I somehow doubt you followed your own advice."

"Yeah, well, now I have the luxury of being the voice of reason. Being a baker has its advantages."

He snorted. "Yeah, well I'll give it a try."

She shook her head at him and went back to her book.

Don put the TV on and went back to his supper. A few minutes had passed when Elisabeth got up and put out her hand. "Give it."

"Huh? What?"

"Your plate."

"You don't have to do the dishes, too."

"I know, but you're tired and drained, so I don't mind." She took the plate from him. "Why don't you go take a hot shower and try to relax? I'll give you a back rub when you're done."

He watched her walk away with his dinner plate and thought, 'she's right. I need to relax.' He decided that a hot shower and a back rub sounded great. He left the couch and headed to the bathroom.

After undressing, he turned the water on to its highest pressure, as hot as he could stand it, and stepped in. He stood under the hot shower and let the water work out the kinks in his neck. He let his mind wander as he tried to think of nothing.

"Mind if I join you?"

He opened his eyes to see Elisabeth standing there, naked. She stepped into the shower and put her arms around him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, feeling her nuzzle into his neck.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh."

"Is that all you have to say?" she said incredulously. "You have a beautiful woman nekkid in your  
shower and all you can do is say 'oh?'"

He grinned and pretended to look around. "Beautiful woman, where is she?"

"Ha ha." She trailed her fingers down his arms. "So I was hoping that we could enjoy a nice shower together and then see where it leads us..."

Don stopped smiling. His face became serious, and his voice was quiet when he answered, "I don't want to hurt you." His fingers traced over her ribs as he remembered her bruises and injuries.

Elisabeth audibly groaned. "Oh, come on now. You're not going to hurt me." She touched his face. "You've been treating me like a piece of porcelain since I was discharged from the hospital and allowed to resume my life." Her voice was gentle when she said, "I'm not gonna break." She sighed when he did not respond. "Okay, well, I guess that's my cue to get out."

He stopped her from moving and pulled her in for a long kiss. Elisabeth returned his kiss, pressing into him.

He nibbled on her jaw and whispered, "I didn't say you could leave." Her arms tightened around his shoulders as they kissed again. "You sure?" he asked huskily.

"Uh huh," she replied, slightly breathless. "Most definitely."

His lips curled into a grin. "Good."

After kissing under the hot shower water, they eventually made their way to the bed and began exploring each others' bodies like it was their first time again. She flinched only once or twice while in his arms, but she assured him she was fine, to not stop. At that point he would have done anything she asked. He felt her hunger for him as he lost himself in her embrace.

Don opened his eyes and looked at the clock; it was almost 4:30AM. He was curled around her sleeping form. He nuzzled into her neck and felt her stir against him.

She said in a sleepy voice, "Did you let it go?"

"Yeah, for now."

She snuggled closer to him. She replied, "Good."

He smiled and decided to try to_ let it go_ at least for a couple more hours with her at his side. He closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

Chapter 18

Don dialed his brother's cell and waited impatiently for him to pick up. "Charlie? Where are you right now?"

"I'm at Conti's bakery. Dad, Larry and I decided to stop in and say hi to Elisabeth. Why?"

Don scribbled a note of their location and handed it to David. He and Colby took off towards the elevators.

"Okay, good, Dad is with you. I don't want to alarm you but I want the three of you stay there. I'm sending Colby and David to bring you guys to the office."

Charlie's voice started to fill with worry as he said, "Don, why? What's going on?"

"It may be nothing but the whole team and I just received an unspecified threat against ourselves."

"God Don, should you be on this case?"

"Probably not, but since it seems like the routine threats we get all the time against the FBI as a whole, I'm on it till it proves to be something more. So right now we're just taking some precautionary measures for the next 24 hours while we verify the information. I would just feel better with you and Dad here safe so I can concentrate."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah, maybe you can look at the data and maybe the threat messages themselves. When you get here I'll give you the case file we are working on and hopefully you can see a pattern."

"I'll do what I can..."

Don heard a man say, "Don't make a sound. I have a gun pointed at your dad. You three are coming with us."

"Hey let go of me..."

Don heard Charlie's phone go dead.

Don cursed to himself. "Megan, come on, we have to go. I think someone is trying to take Charlie, my dad and Larry. Put a call in to the LAPD."

Megan and Don ran to the car, put their vests on, and took off. Megan called Colby and David and gave them a heads up on the turn of events.

Elisabeth stepped outside to the outdoor café with coffee and baked goods for Charlie, Alan and Larry. No one else was in the café that afternoon. She looked around and saw where they were sitting and started walking towards them. Charlie was talking on his cell phone. His eyes had gone wide. Alan and Larry were looking intently at Charlie as he talked on the phone. She watched as two strange men approached the trio. One man leaned over to Charlie and said something. Charlie jerked his arm away from the man and dropped his cell phone. Elisabeth spied the faint gleam of a gun muzzle pushed into Charlie's side. Alan stood up and she heard him say, "Hey, take your hands off my son." The other man pushed Alan in the stomach, slamming him back into the chair. Larry put his hands up in defense when the other man pointed his gun at him.

"Oh hell," Elisabeth mumbled.

Without even thinking, Elisabeth lowered the tray of food onto the ground and crouched down, grateful that the two men had not noticed her presence. She watched the two men for a few seconds, assessing her best line of offense. She crept up behind the men and proceeded to incapacitate the first one with a blow to the side of the neck. Capitalizing on her surprise attack, she jammed a knee in the groin of the second man and slammed his head down on the top of her thigh. An unseen third man came up behind her and grabbed her, whipping her around and clipping her in the jaw with his fist. Without even thinking, she grabbed the man's wrist as his hand made contact with her face. She wrenched his arm to the side, causing a loud popping sound, and then using her right leg she kicked his feet out from under him. He landed on the concrete and she promptly slammed her heel into his throat. She then grabbed his gun and ejected the clip. Elisabeth bent down to the ground and picked up the gun that she had knocked out of the other man's hand. She turned to Larry and Charlie and barked, "Check him for any other weapons." She knelt down in front of Alan. "Alan, are you okay?"

He managed to say, "Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me. I'll be alright."

"Well, I think we should call the paramedics anyway."

Charlie said, "I'll call Don."

She nodded at him and turned back to Alan.

Alan looked closely at Elisabeth and incredulously said, "A baker?"

She shook her head and tried to give him a small smile.

Not even five minutes later, Colby and David came running up with Megan and Don hot on their heels.

Megan ran up to Larry to make sure he was okay. Colby and David checked the unconscious men and cuffed them.

Don went immediately over to Alan. "Dad, are you okay? The paramedics are on their way."

"Donnie, I'm fine. Just a bit winded. I don't think the paramedics are needed."

"Dad, just let them check you out, okay?" He turned to Charlie and Larry and said, "Hey, you two okay?"

"Yeah, we're okay, Don." He looked towards Elisabeth, who was standing a few yards away. "Thanks to Elisabeth."

Don's eyes went immediately to where Elisabeth was standing. She had her hands on her hips as she stared off at the sky.

He walked over to her. "Hey."

Breaking out of her thoughts, she gave him a small smile. "Hey."

Don saw a bruise forming on her chin. He took her face in his hand and turned it the side so he could examine her cheek. Feeling relieved at the whole situation, he pulled her in closer to him, and kissed the side of her head. He felt her snuggle in closer to him, her arms tightened around his neck as she exhaled a deep breath.

His voice was concerned, as he asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine. It's nothing. Did you see the other guys?"

He snorted at her remark. He looked closer at her. "Elisabeth, actually, you really don't look so good. You look really pale. Maybe should sit down or something."

"Don, I'm fine. Go see to your dad and brother."

"Alright." He started to walk away when he stopped and turned back to her. "I'm glad you were here."

"Me too. Well, I'll be inside if you need to take my statement."

"Okay." He looked closely at her again. Something was off about her so he asked again, "You sure you're alright?"

She nodded and started to walk away. Don watched Elisabeth stop after taking a step or two. She shook her head and took a deep breath. He heard her say, "Oh, damn." Before Don could react, she crumpled to the ground.


	16. Chapter 19 & 20

Chapter 19  
Elisabeth opened her eyes and groaned. "Ugh, what the hell happened?"

"You fainted," Don said, pulling the chair in the exam room closer to the edge of the bed.

"I don't faint. Pass out, maybe, but I definitely don't faint."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, you passed out."

She muttered, "Wonderful."

A nurse walked in and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Angelique. I'm going to take your vitals." Before she left the room, she said, "I'll tell the doctor you're awake."

Elisabeth turned to Don and asked, "How's your dad?"

"He's fine." Relief in his voice, he continued, "He has a small bruise on his chest, but other than that he's fine."

"Good. So do you want to tell me who those guys were and why I had to kick their asses?"

Don threaded his fingers through hers. "You really did a number on them."

"Yeah, well no one messes with my boyfriend's family. It tends to piss me off."

He smiled and squeezed her hand. Elisabeth squeezed back.

A petite female doctor stepped into the exam room. "Ah, I see you're awake, Ms. Grier. I'm Doctor Scheib. I'd like to have the nurse draw some blood so we can run some simple tests to help rule out what made you pass out."

Don stood up and said, "I'll wait outside."

Elisabeth gave him a small smile as he left the room. He heard the doctor start to talk to Elisabeth as he walked out. "Okay, well your blood pressure has stabilized..."

He walked down the hallway to the waiting room. His dad was flipping through a magazine.

"Hey, Dad."

Alan looked up from the magazine. "How's Elisabeth?"

"She's conscious now. The doctor is in talking to her."

Alan look Don in the eye. "She's a good fighter."

"Yeah, she is," Don answered carefully.

"Have to tell me about it sometime," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe, but it's not my call."

Don watched Alan consider his words. "I agree."

"I have to go back to the office so I can wrap up the paperwork. I am going to have another agent take you and Elisabeth home."

"Sure, son."

"I'll talk to you later," Don said to his dad before giving him a quick hug. He went back down to the exam room where Elisabeth was and knocked on the door. "Hey, can I come in?"

Elisabeth looked up. "Yeah."

"Any word?"

"No." She shook her head wearily. "Not yet, they're still running some tests."

"I just wanted to let you know I have to head back to the office, but I have an agent assigned to take you and my dad home."

"Oh, okay."

He started to leave. "I'll see you at my place?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good. I shouldn't be more than a couple of hours. I'll bring home dinner."

"That would be nice. I'll see you later."

Don walked back into the room and kissed Elisabeth on the lips.

It was 2:30 AM when Don heard a glass break and Elisabeth swearing from the kitchen.

"Damn it."

He got out of bed in only his pajama bottoms and went to see what the problem was. She was on the floor mopping up what looked to be spilled milk.

He yawned. "Elisabeth, why are you on the floor?"

She shot him an unfriendly look. "Well, Fed, what the hell does it look like I'm doing?"

Grabbing the brush and dustpan to help sweep up the broken glass, he answered back, "What's got you all riled up?"

"Argh." She muttered, "I can't sleep. I have a headache the size of a small country and all I want to do is have some warm milk and honey."

Don rubbed his eyes with a sigh. "If you can't sleep, why don't you take a sleeping pill?"

"I can't."

Annoyed, he snapped back, "Elisabeth, I know you hate taking medications but you really do need to get some rest."

She shot him an accusatory look. "Don, what part of the phrase 'I can't' don't you get?"

He started to turn away but he stopped. "You know, Elisabeth, you have been at my throat since I got home tonight. What the hell is your problem?"

Sarcastically, she said, "No problem at all, Don. No problem at all."

"Like hell, Elisabeth. Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You want to know what's wrong?

Tired of her game, he shot back, "Yeah, tell me, I want to know."

When she did finally speak, it was barely a whisper. "I'm pregnant."

Chapter 20

"Oh. You sure?" he said, all anger leaving his voice.

"Yeah, that's one of the tests they ran at the hospital."

He ran his hand through his hair. "How did that happen?" He put his hand up and said, "And before you start with your little comments, I know how. I mean how is it possible? You're on the pill and... we've been careful."

"Well, apparently as careful as we thought we were, it wasn't enough." Elisabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. "The ER doctor thinks it was the antibiotics I was on after my injuries that interfered with the birth control. I don't get it, I told the doctor I had been off the antibiotics for a couple of days before we... Well, they should have been out of my system by then."

"How far along?" He leaned against the fridge.

"Uh, the doctor and I figured just a little over a month."

"A month? And you didn't notice anything was off?"

Shooting him a nasty look, she said, "No, I've never been really regular. I've been late before. So I really wasn't concerned."

"Huh. Have you thought about what we should do? 'Cause whatever you want..." He let his voice trail off.

"Well, obviously I can't keep the baby; neither of us are fit to be parents. You and I both are too selfish and independent. You're obsessed with your job. You work long hours and when you do finally come home you are usually so exhausted you fall asleep on the couch. As for me? No way, I can't be a mom. I'm not fit to be one."

Don pursed his lips. "Well, what do you think we should do?"

Elisabeth looked away for a moment. Her voice was flat when she answered, "I think the best idea would be to put the baby up for adoption. I think that would be the best thing for us all."

Stunned at the whole thing, he found himself nodding in agreement. "You may be right. I think that may be best for all of us."

"Listen, I think I need to be alone. I'm going back to my place. I'll call you in a couple of days."

He silently watched her leave the kitchen, leaving him there alone with his thoughts. After a few minutes he heard the front door open and then softly click closed.

Don stood in the kitchen for a few minutes, trying to absorb the news she had just told him. He thought, 'this can't be happening. I can't be a father. I can't believe this is happening.' He rubbed his temples and leaned on the counter. He threw away the remains of the broken glass, feeling somehow that this was some sort of sign.

He thought about the decision she had made. It made the most sense, even though he was upset that she came to the conclusion without talking to him. She was right. They were too independent and maybe a bit selfish to raise a child. Besides, it wasn't like they were married or close to being married. They had only been together since May, and they had only recently become more serious about each other, barring the whole 'her dumping him' incident.

He walked out into the living room and his eyes rested on the wedding photo of his mom and dad. He swore under his breath at what his father would say when he found out. His father would be really upset about Don agreeing to put his grandchild up for adoption. The next eight months were going to be brutal for everyone. He had a sinking feeling that the relationship that he and Elisabeth had started to cultivate was going to wither and die and end up like the shattered glass 


	17. Chapter 21 & 22

Chapter 21 

It was about a week before Thanksgiving and Don was on his way to Charlie's. On the way over, Don checked his apartment messages. As he expected, there were no new messages from Elisabeth; since she had told him that she was pregnant about five weeks ago he had only seen her once. Elisabeth would leave messages for him when he was not home with updates on her health and the research she was doing about adoption. He had told her on several occasions through voicemail that if she wanted him to go to appointments with her he would go. But she had answered that it would probably be best if he didn't and that things were being handled. His prediction about their relationship falling apart had come true. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep, maybe getting three or four hours a night before terrible dreams would start. They would always start with him sitting in a rocking chair with a newborn or playing catch with a little boy, but then the dreams would turn into nightmarish images of children screaming, "Why did you leave me, Daddy? I'm so lost."

"Hey, Dad," he said as he walked into the house and slumped in a chair.

"Hey, Donnie, I was just about to start dinner. You want to stay?"

"Nah, I just wanted to stop in and drop off some files for Charlie."

"Well, he should be home from class soon. You can leave them on the table. You sure you don't want to stay for dinner? I'm going to grill some steaks."

"Yeah, Dad, I'm sure."

Alan's faced showed concern as he gently said, "Donnie, you look terrible. Are you not sleeping? Something on your mind you want to talk about?"

Don snapped out of his reverie. "Huh? Oh, no. Everything's fine."

"Don, you may be able to mask your face from other people, but I can see something is wrong."

"Dad, it's fine. It's been a long day, that's all," he replied, trying to keep the churlishness out of his voice.

"Alright, if you say so. How's Elisabeth? Been a while since I've seen her." When Don did not answer, his father asked, "You two not getting along?"

"Dad, I really don't want to talk about it."

He took his son by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I want you to talk to me. I know you don't like to talk about things, but I can see something is really eating at you. Your brother has been worrying about you non-stop for the last few weeks. He says that you have bitten off more heads in the last week over the smallest things."

Don looked his father in the eyes and didn't know what he should say. How could he tell him that Elisabeth was pregnant and going to give up the baby? That he would never get to know his grandchild? How he loved Elisabeth, but that their relationship was over?

Don's cell phone rang. He sighed and answered it. "Eppes."

The voice on the other end said, "Hi, is this Don Eppes?"

"Yes, it is," he answered, slight confusion in his voice.

"Hi, this is Michelle Potter, a nurse over at UCLA medical center. An Elisabeth Grier asked us to call you."

"What?" he exclaimed." Is she alright?"

"Yes, she is much better at this time but she asked for you to come to the hospital."

"Okay, well, I'm on my way."

Shaking, Don ended the phone call and started to leave for the door.

Alan put his hand on Don's shoulder. "Don, what's going on?"

"Dad, it's Elisabeth, she is at the ER. I have to go to her."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Don opened his mouth to tell his dad no, but changed his mind. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Don went to the reception desk and told the woman there that he had been called about Elisabeth Grier. She nodded and said she would have the nurse take him back to see her. A moment or two later someone came up to walk Don to the exam room. He entered the room to find Elisabeth sitting up, an IV in her arm. Her face was extremely pale and wan looking. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying.

She heard him come in and looked up at him.

"We really gotta stop meeting like this," Don said teasingly to her.

She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks for coming."

He nodded. "Sure, anytime." He longed to touch her but he held back. "What happened?"

She bit her lip before replying. "I was out at the store and started to feel weak, sweaty, and like my heart was gonna pop out of my chest. Before I knew it, I guess I collapsed. The doctor thinks I may be suffering from something called placental abruption and I will need to be on bed rest." She gulped. "There's a chance that I could lose the baby." She brought her hands to her face and started to cry.

Without even thinking, he crossed the space between them, physically and mentally. He put his arms around her and held her.

"Don, I don't want to lose this baby," she said between silent sobs.

"Shh, it's okay." He stroked her hair. "I am sure the doctors are doing everything possible and everything will be fine."

"No," she answered. "Don, you don't understand. For days now I have been having dreams about the baby. She keeps asking me why I don't love her and why do I want to give her away? I can't give this baby up. Please, I want to keep the baby. I know what I said before, that I can't be a mother, but the thought of losing her is killing me." She began to cry even harder in his arms.

He touched her face and looked into her eyes. "Elisabeth, shhh, calm down... We can do whatever you want. If you don't want to give up the baby, you don't have to. Okay?"

She sniffled. "I don't understand."

"I'm not sure what I am saying, but I know that I'm miserable without you and I have a feeling you're just as miserable." She nodded her head in agreement. Don continued, saying, "Elisabeth, I don't want you to be in so much pain. Maybe giving the baby up is not what is best. Maybe we are supposed to raise him or her together."

Her voiced trembled as she spoke. "Don, I am so scared. I have never been this scared in my life."

"You don't have to be scared. I'm here and we can do this. Together, as best we can."

He pulled her in tighter and held her. She asked him, "You sure?"

"Honestly, I don't know, but I think it will all work out." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He handed her a tissue to wipe her face and gave her a small smile. "So you think girl, huh?"

She gave him a small smile back. "Yeah." She wiped at her eyes. "'Cause only a girl would be this much trouble this early."

He gave a little laugh and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be right back. My dad came with and I want to tell him you are okay."

She said slowly, "Does he know?"

"No, I haven't told him yet, but I think I should now."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. But you do know that if I tell him, he's going to be fussing over you." He patted her hand one more time before leaving the room. Don walked down the hallway feeling lighter then he had in weeks. The knot in his stomach was slowly untwisting. He was unsure if things would work but he knew that this was something he had to do. He mused to himself, 'Girl?'

His dad was sitting in one of the chairs, watching the TV. He stood up when Don approached.

"Donnie, what's going on? Is Elisabeth okay?"

"Yeah, Dad. She's fine right now."

"Okay, good."

"Dad, I have to tell you something. You may want to sit down."

Perplexed, Alan answered, "Donnie, what? What's going on?"

"Well, you are finally getting that wish of yours."

"Wish? What wish?

"You know, the one that you keep bugging me and Charlie about. The one where you get to be a grandfather."

"WHAT!" Alan gasped. "I think I need to sit down."

Chapter 22

It was 8:30 PM when he walked in the front door. He found his girlfriend and mother of his unborn child sitting at her desk and working on her computer. The whole idea of it still made him uneasy and nervous, but he was determined to do what he had to do. It was December 19th and Elisabeth was almost seventeen weeks pregnant. Elisabeth's doctor was pleased that her condition had stabilized and felt that she shouldn't suffer from any more complications with her pregnancy. The doctor didn't think they were out of the woods yet but she had taken her off of complete bed rest and was allowing her to work part-time at the bakery. He saw her crack her neck from left to right and then rub her eyes. She had a CD playing some music as she lip synched with the words. Elisabeth looked up at him, catching him watching her.

"Hey. You're home late."

"Yeah, sorry," Don answered.

She replied with a grunt and went back to typing on the computer.

He sat down on the couch and started to flip through the channels. "What are you working on?"

"Bills. Lovely, wonderful bills."

"Ah."

Elisabeth added, "If you're hungry, I put some dinner aside for you."

"Nah, not really hungry. Thanks, though."

"Yup."

He looked back at her and asked, "How was your day?'

"Crazy. Our Christmas orders have doubled in three days and since I have to work a restricted schedule I spent all day training two new assistants. Give me hardened criminals to run down any day over women begging to have one more pound of cookies added to their order."

He grinned at her comment. "I'll keep that in mind next time I'm running down a suspect. Maybe we could switch jobs." He heard her laugh at his comment. He looked back at the TV to check the hockey scores and asked, concerned, "You feeling alright?"

She let out a small sigh. "Eh, just a little tired."

"You're not overdoing it are you?"

Joining him on the couch, she answered, "No, Mom. I'm not overdoing it."

Don shot her a look that said he did not appreciate her sarcasm. "You know, Elisabeth, I'm just looking out for you."

"Sorry. I know." Elisabeth put her hands up. "I'm just sick of everyone fussing over me. It's bad enough that I have you and the doctor breathing down my neck. But add on your dad and everyone at the bakery, and it's driving me nuts."

"It's only 'cause we care." Don pulled her over so he could place an arm around her shoulder.

Shaking her head, she said, "Yeah, I know, I know. Just not used to it. Used to being on my own, when the only one who worried about me was me," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Your dad called earlier."

"Hmm. What did he have to say?" he asked as he massaged her shoulder.

"Just wanted to talk about Christmas dinner and what our plans were for telling Charlie." She snuggled in closer.

"Yeah, I guess we should tell him soon, since the doctor says that you'll go full term."

"I think your dad is going to burst at the seams if we don't tell Charlie soon, and everybody else. He understood our caution up to now but I think he wants to announce it at dinner."

Don considered the idea as she continued talking. "You would think Charlie would figure something was going on. Especially with the way you and your dad hover over me."

"You're kidding me, right? We're talking about Charlie. With Charlie, if it's not math, he has no clue. And besides, it's not like you look pregnant or anything."

"I know I don't, but I look fat."

"You don't look fat," Don said as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I do. I'm up eight pounds."

"Eight pounds where? You're not fat." He kissed her on the head and then said with a impish smile playing over his lips, "Yet."

"Hey!" She smacked him with one of the couch pillows.

His smile turned into a bit of grimace as he replied, "I think Megan thinks something is up, but I don't think she's figured anything out. It's starting to unnerve me the way she keeps looking at me."

"I can just imagine," she mumbled with a sigh before closing her eyes.

A little while later, Don looked down at Elisabeth and noticed she had fallen asleep. He scooped her up, cradling her closer, and started to carry her into the bedroom.

She woke up and murmured, "What are you doing?"

"I'm putting you to bed."

"Oh, okay."

He couldn't resist teasing her a bit. "You're right, you are fat. I can barely carry you."

She yawned in reply, "Told ya."

After he laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chest she touched his hand to stop him from leaving. "Tomorrow when I'm not so tired, I'm gonna kick your ass for calling me fat."

Don smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be sure to remind you."

He left the room and went back to sit on the couch to relax before going to bed himself. 


	18. Chapter 23, 24 & 25

Chapter 23(Letter dated December 12th, 2006) 

Hey Elle!

How's it going? I'm doing fine out here in West Virginia. It's good to be home again. The fresh mountain air and sunshine can do a man good.

Sorry it's taken so long since my last letter, but I have been pretty busy. I have some news to tell ya. I got married. I married my high school sweetheart, Hilary. I know you're probably wondering what the heck got into my head but I couldn't help myself, I fell in love. So now I have a wife and two kids. Did I forget to mention that she was a widow? I have to tell you, it's been wonderful having them critters around. They keep me feeling young. They are pretty good kids. The older one is still coming around but we sat down and talked things out. The little one is a complete angel. She told me that she likes me 'cause I make her mommy smile again. It hasn't been easy but the four of us are working it out. The construction business has taken off and most of my free time is going into that and building a new house for Hilary, Danny and Becky. I'll write more in my next letter about the whole 'how we met' thing, but time is short.

Well, enough about me. How the hell have you been? So, in your last letter you said that Eppes knocked you up--sorry, I mean that you are pregnant. I still can't believe it. It still makes me laugh. You're gonna be a mom. How have you been dealing with the whole thing? Knowing how you get, probably not the greatest. I told my wife that you were having some troubles with your pregnancy. She said that it's very common for women to have problems with their first pregnancy and you shouldn't blame yourself. Did I mention that she is a nurse at the county hospital? Now, back to you and Eppes. I told ya before that I think you two are good for each other. So don't be a fool and screw it up. This is the chance at living and existing like you always wanted to. Isn't that why you quit? I hope you finally told him you loved him rather than assuming he knows how you feel. You know what they say when you ASSUME. And don't deny that you love him, 'cause you would be a liar. Well, I will stop yelling at you about the whole thing, 'cause I am going to hope for the best that you are doing the right thing.

I heard from Mae. She is doing well, working at NSA headquarters with some wigs and such. Have you heard from Toro?

I think that is all for now. Take care of yourself and keep me posted on how you are doing.

Mario

December 20, 2006

Dear Mario,

Married, huh? Well isn't that something? You seem to adjust to real life better than I ever could. Anyway, I have been feeling better. I'm off of restricted bed rest and have gone back to work. The bakery is so busy that even though I only work four hours a day, I'm exhausted at the end of the day.

As for Eppes and me, we're doing pretty good. It's been a long road, but I think we will be okay. I don't plan on screwing it up, as you like to so blatantly say. I give as much of myself to him as I can and everyday it increases. You're right, I do love him, and I want him to know so badly. But the words just stick in my throat. I promise I will try harder so you can stop calling me 'fool woman,' 'cause it's really getting on my nerves.

I have heard from Mae, too. She sounds like she's happy and I think that is all we can hope for. I haven't heard from Toro other than a postcard from the Cayman Islands with a bull's head drawn on it. I think that is his way of telling me that he is well.

Okay, it's getting late and I still want to go out shopping for a Christmas present for the Fed. What the hell do I get for him? A tie? I have no idea. I hope I will be inspired and figure it out.

Take care of yourself and I will too. From one fool to another,

E.

Chapter 24

Elisabeth made her way through the crowd at the mall and found a lone chair to collapse in. Two hours had gone by since she'd begun shopping, and she was no closer to her goal. She still hadn't figured out what to get him. She'd found something for Alan, a frame that read, "I Love My Grandpa," and some origami paper that had the Pi symbol embossed on it for Charlie. She had gotten Don tickets to a hockey game, but she wanted to get him something else.

She tried to think about what gifts her mom had given to her dad over the years and all she could remember were shirts. She surely wasn't going to get him a shirt--that was a little too domestic for her. Okay, so what? she thought. A book? Y eah, okay, maybe. But about what? Maybe something about baseball? She sighed and rubbed her temples. She wondered what he would get for her and silently hoped that it would not be another book on pregnancy. She knew Don meant well, but he kept finding passages and highlighting them for her to read. It was driving her a little crazy, but she knew that he just wanted to understand better what she was going through.

While she sat, she watched people walk by her. She saw many mothers running after their escaping toddlers. She overheard a man talking to his daughter, telling her that Mommy was going to love the gift she picked out. Then a few minutes later a mother and her two children walked by in their Sunday best to get a picture with Santa. It overwhelmed her a bit, but the good cheer she saw in peoples' faces made her smile.

She decided to get up and go check out the bookstore. It was at least a start to the end of her quest. She wandered up and down the aisles checking out the different subjects. In the children's section she picked up a couple of children's books to give to Don for him to read to the baby. She got Pat the Bunny and Goodnight Moon. She then made her way to the sports section and looked at the titles. Nothing struck her as something he would enjoy. She mused, Okay, that idea was a bust. She started to walk out of the store when a title caught her eye. She picked it up and skimmed through the pages. She laughed. Yeah, this will work. She paid for her purchases and made her way home.

She stepped in the apartment and started to stash her purchases away since Don had said he would be home before dinner.

A minute or two later her cell phone rang. It was Don, saying he was running a little late but he wouldn't be long and he would grab something for dinner. Since he was not on his way home she knew she would have time to wrap the presents. On the two children's book she put a tag on the outside that read: 'To: Daddy, From: baby'. Okay, it was a bit on the cheesy side, but she knew that Don would get a kick out it. She put that under the tree and took out the book she had bought him. She read the title and laughed again. The book she'd bought was an anthology of poems called You Drive Me Crazy: Love Poems for Real Life. Some of the poems in there were new to her but some of her favorite poets were in there too. She took out a pen and decided to write a note in the inside cover to him. She figured if she couldn't get the words out to him verbally then she could at least do him the courtesy of writing them down.

She wrote:

_To Don:_

_This book of poems I hope will convey my deepest feelings and love for you. I know it hasn't been easy for us but your love and devotion always amazes and touches me. I hope that as time passes, I will be able to become the woman that you so richly deserve. I have come to realize that you are and always will be the love of my life. I am very lucky to have you in my life and if I don't always seem to appreciate that, I want to apologize._

_All my love and more,_

_Elisabeth_

She wiped away the small tear that had formed in her eye and smiled at what she had written. She was such a sap. She blew on the writing so it wouldn't smear, and proceeded to wrap the book in Christmas paper. She could hardly wait for Christmas to come so he could unwrap the book.

Chapter 25

Elisabeth was in the kitchen helping Alan put the finishing touches on Christmas Eve dinner.

"Alan, the roast smells great," she said as she chopped up vegetables for the salad.

"Yeah, I think it's going to come out good. My friend Donna is a caterer, and she gave me a recipe to stuff some aromatics into the cavity of the bird. So it should be moist and flavorful."

"Sounds good to me."

Alan watched her deftly chop up the vegetables and add them to the lettuce. He said, "You're pretty good with that knife."

"Yeah, I've got some mean skills. Had some good training."

Alan just looked at Elisabeth.

"Um, in culinary school. I had knife training in culinary school."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, that would make sense," Alan said. "Okay, well I think we are almost ready here. I just have to mash the potatoes up and I think we can eat."

"I can do that for you."

"Elisabeth, you've done plenty. Maybe you should go sit down and rest."

"Alan, I'm fine, really. Since I've hit the second trimester, I'm starting to feel like my old self again."

"You know I don't know who's worse, you or my son, when it comes to overdoing it."

Deadpanned, she replied, "Him. Definitely him."

He chuckled. "Well normally I think I would agree that Don is the one who pushes himself too hard, but I still think you're overdoing it. So go and sit down for a few minutes. I insist."

Elisabeth sighed. "Alright, since you insist, but I'm only pregnant."

"I do insist, and I can tell this pregnancy hasn't been easy for you."

"Who's pregnant?" Charlie said as he wandered into the kitchen. "Time for dinner yet? Everything smells so good."

Alan and Elisabeth exchanged glances.

Alan cleared his throat and said, "Dinner is almost ready. Why don't you take in the bread and salad and then tell your brother to come to the table?"

Charlie nodded. "Okay, I can do that." He picked up the salad bowl and bread and placed them on the table. He walked to the living room where he and Don had been watching a game together. "Hey Don, Dad says dinner is ready, we should go in and sit down."

Don looked up from the TV. "Great, I'm starved." He clicked the TV off and both brothers walked into the dining room and sat down.

Charlie turned to his brother and said, "Dad and Elle are talking about someone being pregnant. Do you know who they're talking about?"

Don just looked at Charlie. "Ummm. Uh. Really?"

Charlie waited for more of a reply and when none was forthcoming he said, "You're not going to answer me either. Dad and Elle did the same thing."

"Um, I don't know who they could be talking about."

Alan stepped out with the turkey and Elisabeth followed closely behind with the potatoes and grilled vegetables.

Don said, "Hey, that looks great, Dad."

Charlie chimed in his agreement and then said, "You guys didn't answer my question from earlier."

Elisabeth replied, "Yeah, we answered your question. That dinner was ready."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Not that question, the other one. You guys were talking about someone being pregnant."

Alan's eyes flicked between his older son and his girlfriend.

Charlie saw both Don and Elisabeth starting to look uncomfortable. He thought, What the heck is going on? Charlie took another look at Elisabeth and saw her face start to turn red. Something had seemed different about her lately. He hadn't thought much of it since he had picked up extra duties being on the doctorate selection committee, but the more he stared at her, the more he got the feeling something was going on. But what? Then it hit him. No way! They couldn't be. She couldn't be. Oh my God!

Charlie's jawed dropped as his eyes kept going back and forth between Don, Elisabeth and his dad. He sputtered, "You guys were talking about you being pregnant. Weren't you?"

More color crept into Elisabeth's face as she said, "Um, yes. Your brother and I are going to have a baby."

Charlie still couldn't get the words out--he just pointed and sputtered, "You and you?" He pointed at Don and Elisabeth, then he pointed at his dad and said, "And you knew?

Alan nodded.

Charlie whined, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Don looked over at Elisabeth. She shrugged at him. He looked back at Charlie and said, "We were actually going to tell you after dinner. We didn't tell you sooner 'cause there were some complications and we almost lost the baby, so we thought it would be better to wait till Elisabeth was in her second trimester to really tell anyone."

Charlie looked mollified by his answer and replied, "Oh." He then jumped up and took the bowls from her and said, "Oh, oh my, you should be sitting down, let me get that for you."

Elisabeth scowled. "Oh God, not you too."

Don started laughing at the expression of frustration on her face and said, "See, even Uncle Charlie will help take care of you."

She stomped back into the kitchen and muttered, "Fabulous."

Alan shook his head at Elisabeth's frustration about being fussed over.

Charlie thought for a minute and said, "Wait. Second trimester. That means she is somewhere between 13-26 weeks?"

Don supplied, "Almost eighteen weeks now."

"So her due date would calculate to be, what, May 29th? Oh, I'm going to be an uncle in May!"

Don said, "May, that sounds about right."

Charlie's eyes glazed over into Charlie-vision as he started to think about all the factors and variables that could happen in pregnancy.

"Hey Don, I can run an analysis for you and Elle, pinpoint milestones and events over the next twenty-two weeks for you..."

With a straight face, Don said, "Oh, absolutely. I'm sure she'd love that."

Charlie excitedly said, "Really?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Elisabeth came back out of the kitchen.

Don gave her an innocent smile. "Did you hear what Charlie said? He's going to run some calculations on your pregnancy for you."

Elisabeth's eyes went wide with horror. She turned around and went back in the kitchen to hide. Don started to laugh as he heard Elisabeth let out a loud groan.

Don glanced at Charlie, who was beaming, lost in his own world as he ran the numbers in his head.

Alan walked into the kitchen and said to Elisabeth, "Welcome to the Eppes family, my dear."

Elisabeth mumbled, "Wonderful!"


	19. Chapter 26 & 27

Chapter 26

Elisabeth walked into the living room and handed the bottle of antacids to Don. She gave him an amused looked as she asked, "You ate too much, didn't you?"

With a little groan, Don replied, "Yeah, I think I did."

She chuckled. "Well, I don't see why. It's not like you're the one who needs to eat for two."

He grimaced. "Then you and my dad shouldn't have made so much."

"Yeah, blame it on your dad and me. The real culprit is that your eyes are bigger than your stomach."

"For once, I think you're right."

Her eyebrows rose as she said, "For once?" Shaking her head at Don, she walked into the bedroom to change for bed. Outfitted in her Tinkerbell pajamas, she came back to the living room and sat down on the couch next to Don.

She took his hand into hers and held it.

Don extricated his hand from hers so he could put his arm around Elisabeth and pull her close. He said, "Charlie is really excited."

"Yeah, he is. I'm glad he knows now. It was getting hard to keep it under wraps. Did you see his face when he figured it out? I thought he was going to fall out of his chair."

Don grinned. "I actually thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. I don't think I've ever seen him so speechless."

She laughed. "Yeah, he was pretty speechless. Till he started running the numbers." She poked him in the side.  
"And then you go and egg him on. I could've killed ya."

"Oof, hey, watch the stomach."

"Serves you right for torturing me like that."

He grinned back at her. "You make torturing you so easy."

"Whatever."

"I think Dad liked the frame you got him."

"Yeah, I thought he might." She chuckled. "Did you really have to go and wrap Charlie's gift in that much duct tape and then put it in, what, how many boxes?"

"Seven."

Elisabeth started laughing. "I really thought he was going to kill you."

Don started to laugh. "He may have, but I think he reconsidered that the baby should not have to grow up without its father."

"And then when he saw it was just a box of spaghetti, I thought he was going to have a coronary."

"Oh, come on, you enjoyed it. It got him off your back for a few minutes."

"Okay, I did." She stood up and walked to the bedroom, saying, "Oh wait. I almost forgot, I have something else for you."

"Hey, you didn't have to get me anything else. The tickets were plenty and damn amazing. How the hell did you ever get those seats?"

She came back out of the bedroom carrying a flat package, and replied, "I have my ways."

He put up his hands and said, "Stop right there. I don't want to know anything else."

She laughed. "Fine, I won't tell you." She grinned at him again as she handed him the packaged. "Here. It's really  
nothing, I just thought you would like it."

He took the package from her and tore off the wrapping. It was the book of poetry. "'You Drive Me Crazy: Love Poems for Real Life.'" He grinned. "I like the title."

She gave him a small smile and said, "Open it. I wrote something inside for you."

"Yeah, alright." He opened the book and read the inscription.

She sat down on the couch, to watch him read the words she had written.

Don closed his eyes and then reread the inscription. He ran his finger along the words as he soaked in what she had written. He looked up and stared into her eyes. He saw something in her eyes that he had been waiting to see. Don knew she was waiting for a reply of some sort to what was written. He cleared his throat. "Wait here."

A puzzled look came over Elisabeth's faces as he got up and walked into the bedroom.

He came back into the room to stand before her, held out his hand, and helped her stand up in front of him.

Don took her hand and put a small burgundy box it in. He said in a quiet voice, "I bought this for you, but I wasn't sure when I should give it to you. And if I did, I was going to wait to give it to you tomorrow before everyone came over for Christmas dinner, to give it to you. I didn't want you to freak out or feel pressured." He cleared his throat again and said, "But after reading what you wrote, I think now is the right time. Go on, open it."

She opened the box and stared at its contents. "Don, I don't know what to say."

He put a finger to her lips and said, "You don't have to say anything. When you're ready, wear it. I can wait."

She touched his face and leaned in and kissed him. After their kiss, they wrapped their arms around each other and held each other for a few moments. Elisabeth's hands were behind Don's head when she took the ring out of the box and looked at it. It was a diamond with a garnet stone on either side. She slipped the ring on her finger. She kept her hands behind his head and said, "Take me to bed, Don."

Chapter 27

Don lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He looked over at the sleeping form next to him. His mind was in turmoil. He noticed that she had put the ring on. He thought about what she had written in the inscription and how it made him feel. He thought about how real things were truly getting. It was almost easier to deal with when only his dad knew what was going on. Now that Charlie was in the loop, he would have to tell the team. How would he tell them that she was pregnant? _Hey Colby, did you get the ballistics report? Yeah, great, hey David and Megan, I need you to follow up on this lead. Oh yeah, by the way, Elisabeth and I are going to have a baby._ He didn't think that was going to work. Maybe he could put that off for a while longer. He would have to tell Charlie to keep silent about it, because he knew that he would tell Larry and then he in turn Megan, and it was like an avalanche that he did not think he was ready for.

It was times like these he could understand Elisabeth's reluctance with the whole matter. She wasn't the only one afraid of where they were headed. He, too, felt things were out of his control. He knew that he had come to terms with the correct course of action, but part of him knew that he wasn't really ready for all this. Part of him longed for simpler times, back before, when they were just friends and sometimes lovers, or even before she had walked back into his life. He knew that they would have still met and worked together, but chance had him walk through that bakery door. He remembered how a couple of weeks after seeing her again, after becoming lovers again, she had said, "No strings, right Fed?" He had agreed with her, 'no strings,' but the more time they spent together, the more he had known that the 'no strings' policy was not going to stay intact. He knew almost the exact moment when his feelings for her changed from just a friend with benefits (one of her favorite terms she liked to tease him with) to his girlfriend. It was the day he had played basketball with Charlie, when his Dad said that he was distracted. He often wondered when Elisabeth had felt the change in their relationship. Part of him knew that she was a good match for him and that as time passed, maybe they would have become more involved, maybe even talked about marriage, children, whatever. But neither of them would have guessed that fate would decide to accelerate the clock for them, plunging them into this.

Sometimes he wondered whether maybe if he had tried harder with Robin she would have decided not to take that job in DC and break up with him. Would he be here or would he be with Robin? Part of him wanted to blame his dad for having talked to him about relationships after Nikki had died. His mind mulled over that conversation as he remembered what his dad had said...

_  
"__What if you didn't sabotage your next relationship?" _

_  
He replied, "Yeah? What does that mean?"_

_  
"I __mean, what if you gave the next woman that you meet a real shot?" _

That conversation had made him reevaluate some things and had even prompted him to go over to Robin's house. He sighed and decided to get out of bed and get some water. It wasn't his dad's fault; he made every choice and every action himself. He went out to the kitchen and got himself some water.

Don heard her come up behind him. He knew she purposely made enough noise for him to hear her. Her training made her glide like a stealthy predator. It amazed him that she still walked that way even at seventeen weeks pregnant. Elisabeth touched his arm. "Hey, you okay?"

He turned around and said, "Couldn't sleep."

"Obviously."

He shook his head at her.

Elisabeth's eyes scanned Don's face. She touched the side of his face. After a few minutes she put her arms around him to comfort him like he had done so many times over the last few months for her. She said, "Do you want to talk about it?"

He rubbed his jaw. "Nah, I think we should just go to bed."

"Alright, if that's what you want..."

"Hey listen, I'll be alright. Like you, sometimes I need to work it out for myself."

She nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

He took her hand in his and said, "So I see you put the ring on?"

"Yup." She smiled slightly as she twirled the ring on her finger.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I love it. It's perfect. I love the garnets on the side."

"I know they're your favorite and, you know, your birthstone. It's a custom made piece."

"Well, it's perfect, more than I could ever dream of." She looked him in the eye. "I do have a condition to me wearing it."

He looked at her with some annoyance. "And what would that be?"

"Hey Fed, calm down. I just was going to say, I think we should wait till after the baby comes to plan anything.  
Okay?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay, that makes some sense."

She replied, "I mean, we have enough on our plate with still working out the logistics of everything, and besides, I really don't wanna be pregnant on my wedding day."

He nodded as he took her hand and walked back to their bedroom. "Makes sense and who cares if you're pregnant, you'll still be beautiful."

She let out a little laugh before sliding into bed next to him. "Aww, you're so sweet. I guess that's how I got in this condition in the first place." 


	20. Chapter 28 & 29

Chapter 28

It was January when Don walked into the conference room to where his brother was working on a coded message. The message would hopefully reveal the location of an arms shipment they were trying to intercept. "Hey, any luck?"

"Yeah, I ran the code that you gave me for that message and I got a series of numbers."

"Well, you're good with numbers."

Charlie waved his hand at Don. "Yeah, yeah, so far the code is just the numbers one through seven repeating themselves over and over again."

"Well, anything you can figure out would be great, Charlie. If the rest of the intel we got is right, the shipment is going down sometime tonight."

"Yeah, I'll do my best. I just wish I had Amita here to help. She may be even able to shed some light on the numbers like she did with the numbers tattooed on that reporter's foot. We could use someone else who is versed in code cracking, you know, besides me."

"Unfortunately, Charlie, we have no one to spare to help right now. Our office coder is regrettably out of commission. I may be able to get someone else in a few hours. Maybe you can try your NSA contacts and see if they have anyone we can use."

"Yeah that's a good idea. Let me call them." Charlie started to take out his cell phone to call and he stopped. "Hey, wasn't Elisabeth her team's cryptographer when she was with the NSA?"

"Yeah, Charlie, I believe she was, but since she quit she doesn't have security clearance and I don't have the time to get it reinstated, so she can't help you right now."

Charlie replied, "Are you sure she doesn't have clearance anymore, 'cause last week we were sort of talking about the NSA and she mentioned her clearance or something." Charlie stopped talking at the look on Don's face. "Forget I said anything. I guess I misunderstood her."

Don's eyes had hardened. He rubbed his temples. "No, Charlie, I'm sure you didn't." He looked at his brother. "If you really think you're gonna need some more help we can bring her in on this."

"Yeah, I think I do, Don. Something is eluding me on this one. If you want I'll call."

"No, I got it." He sighed as he stepped out of the conference room. He felt his temper starting to rise at yet something else she had failed to tell him. He took out his cell phone and called her.

After he heard Elisabeth greet him he said plainly, "I need a favor."

"Sure, what can I do you for?"

"Charlie is under the impression that you still have your NSA clearance."

There was a pause on the other line. "Um, yeah, that's true. I still have it."

Biting back a nasty comment, Don said, "Charlie could use your help with a code that we need to crack. Can you come down?"

"Um, yeah sure. Give me thirty minutes or so." She continued, "Hey, Don, listen, I still have clearance 'cause…"

He cut her off. "Elisabeth, I really don't want to have this conversation with you right now. I'll see you when you get here."

"Okay, fine." He heard her reply tersely.

He replied, "Fine." And clicked off his phone.

Don saw her step off the elevator. He walked over to escort her into the conference room. She had her hair up in a ponytail while her ID badge hung around her neck. Her dark eyes held a mix of her new and old self. At almost twenty weeks pregnant Elisabeth was beginning to show but the clothing she wore hid things pretty well. Elisabeth wore brown slacks, a loose pink blouse and a matching blazer. When she saw him walking towards her he saw her face tighten as if waiting for him to start a fight with her. She simply said, "Fed."

He nodded at her and said, "Everyone is in the conference room."

"Did you tell them yet?"

"No. I did not."

Her eyes narrowed at him when she replied, "Well, I guess good for you that I decided to wear something to hide it." She followed him into the conference room where she switched to a smile for everyone.

Charlie smiled and said, "Hi, Elle. Thanks for coming. I remembered that you were your team's cryptographer when you--uh--umm--worked with the NSA."

"Hey, Charlie. Yeah, that was one of my specialties. So what have you got?"

Charlie quickly switched into math man mode and started to talk. "Alright, we have the coded piece and we have the code. I cracked it and got some numbers. But unfortunately they are not making any real sense to me. I have to admit I am running into a roadblock on this one. So, um, I'm hoping something will click with you, 'cause we're running out of time."

Elisabeth took a look at some of Charlie's notes. "You never know. Let me see." Don leaned against the side of the desk listening to the unfolding conversation.

Charlie turned on the overhead projector. Images flashed on the screen. He pointed to them and said, "Okay, here is the code and next to it is the message." He then showed her the answer that the code produced. "When we use the code that we're given, this is the answer it generates."

Elisabeth looked at the answer. "They remind me of Roman numerals from I- VII repeating in a non-sequential sequence."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking but my analysis and comparison to other codes hasn't yielded anything plausible." Charlie continued talking, "The numerals seem to be in a specific order and I could try different equations …." He let his voice trail off. "Sometimes even I draw a blank."

Colby ribbed Charlie, "Yeah, Whiz Kid's hit a road block."

Charlie rolled his eyes and looked back at the code on the screen.

She tapped the side of her chin. "Hmmm? And it's only the numbers I- VII and nothing else?"

Charlie nodded as he scratched the side of his jaw in thought.

Elisabeth stood there and kept repeating over and over under her breath the numbers. She muttered, "They're musical notes."

Charlie said, "What?"

Without turning to look at him she said, "It's gonna sound a little crazy, but the numbers remind me of solfege."

David said, "Solfege? Some type of coding?"

"Yeah, uh, it's a music term. Solfege is sight-reading. Meaning that each one of these numbers solfege is a note. For example, I is Do, II is Re, II is Mi and so on. It's what allows people to sight-read music that they've never performed before, or if they really don't know how to read music."

Colby chuckled, "You mean like 'Doe', a deer?"

Elisabeth gave a small grin in reply, "Yeah. 'Doe', a deer, a female deer."

Charlie started to get excited. "And each solfege represents a note on the music scale."

She said, "Yup. 'Doe' would be music note C and Re would be D and so forth."

"Hmm? Yeah, I see the pattern now, too." Don started to help Charlie fill in the notes that belong to the Roman numerals.

Charlie said almost petulantly to Don as they filled in the notes, "You were always faster at sight reading than I ever was." Don snorted in reply as Charlie continued, "Ok, all I need to do is put the music into a program that analyzes musical notes and can predict what song it is. We may have a few to choose from since we do not know what key it is but I think we may have hit pay dirt."

Don questioned, "Great, you have a program that we can use?"

Charlie replied, "Yeah Calsci has one, I can get it from the music department. I'll just need to make a phone call."

Don glanced over at Elisabeth who was muttering to herself in thought. "I don't think you will have to. I'm pretty sure I know what song it is."

All eyes swung to her as Charlie asked, "Really? What song?"

She shrugged, "Well, I could just be going out on a limb, but if the key is F sharp it makes me think of the song _Largo al factotum_." She looked around at their blank faces. "You know the song from the Barber of Seville? Ok, so not big opera fans. All right, how about the frog from the Warner Brother's cartoon? You know the episode where the frog is sitting next to the guy in the park and starts to sing _hello, my baby, hello, my darling_."

Colby chimed in excitedly, "Yeah, the one where some guys finds the frog and rents a theatre for the frog to perform in and when it's time for the show the frog just sits there and croaks. Oh, man that is a classic, definitely one of my favorites."

Elisabeth answered back, "Yeah, that's one of my favorite too."

Megan shook his head, "Okay, so what song is it?"

"Largo al factotum. It's the one that goes Figaro, Figaro, Figaro."

She walked over to Charlie's laptop and gestured to it. "Do you mind?" She quickly typed in a website and with a couple of quick clicks the conference room was filled with music from The Barber of Seville, by Verdi. They listened to thirty seconds of _Largo al Factotum_. Elisabeth mouthed the words along with the tenor, seemingly lost in the song.

David walked up to stand next to Elisabeth and said, "Now the question is what does the song mean, and what does it have to do with the shipment of arms we're trying to locate?"

Elisabeth shrugged. "I have no clue. I only break 'em. It's your job to apply them."

David teased, 'Yeah. Thanks for leaving the hard work to us."

Elisabeth gave David a slight grin. "Oh, don't worry David, you Feds are smart enough. You'll figure it out."

Megan spoke, "I think we will need the song lyrics and maybe there is something in the words. Elisabeth, any chance you know the words and what the song is about?"

"Yes, uh, I know pretty much the whole opera, but only the words in Italian and not the exact English translation. Uh, I can tell you the basic meaning of this song. This song is just 'Figaro, he's the town's barber,' and goes on about how he is the best barber in town and how everyone wants to hire him. It's a comedic opera so it's really just supposed to be funny." She went back to the computer and replayed a part of the song. "For example, this part here." She let the song play for a few seconds. "This means 'everyone asks for me, everyone wants me, women, young people, old people.' I really can't imagine why your perps picked this song. It has no underlying meaning other than Figaro getting to shamelessly promote himself."

Don arched his eyebrow. "You know the words to a whole opera. Well aren't we full of surprises today."

Elisabeth shot him a look and shook her head. "Yes, I am."

Don was about to say something else but decided getting into an argument with Elisabeth right now was definitely not professional and something he didn't want to waste time on. He said pinching the bridge of his nose, "Colby, see if you can run down the English translation of the lyrics and get the Italian ones too. Megan, why don't you and David go see if the song or the opera jostles Mr. Phillip's memory? I'll go and talk to Mr. Mckay to see if anything shakes loose."

The team nodded and scrambled off to their assignments.

He gave one final look at Elisabeth and left for the interrogation rooms.

Elisabeth blew out the breath she was holding and said, "Okay, well, that went better than I thought."

Charlie put a hand on Elisabeth's shoulder. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know that it was a secret."

"Oh, Charlie. It wasn't a secret. I didn't realize that I hadn't told him that I still had clearance. It just never came up."

"But I got you in trouble."

Elisabeth sighed. "Don't worry about it. I can handle your brother. Let him be mad without even talking to me first. It's his issue."

"So the words to a whole opera, huh?"

"Yup. One of my amazing talents."

"Should I even ask?"

She laughed. "It's nothing nefarious. God, what kind of reputation am I getting? My mother had me learn opera when I was younger so I could sing arias to my grandmother. So I'm familiar with many operas by sight."

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Hey, how you been feeling?"

"Eh, I'm feeling pretty good. They say the 2nd trimester is supposed to the best. I still get tired too easily but other than that I feel great."

"So he hasn't told anyone yet."

"Nope, not yet. I'm not sure what he is waiting for but lucky for him I can still hide it with how I dress. I'm going to get some water. Do you want something?"

"No, thanks. I'm okay."

Megan came out of the interrogation room and went to check on some more info that she and David got from the suspect. As she walked back to her desk she spied Elisabeth talking to one of the forensic accountants in the break room. Her name was Jill and she was about 8 months pregnant. She watched Elisabeth and Jill talk. Elisabeth gave Jill a small smile and with a nod from Jill put her hand on her abdomen. She watched them talk for a few moments more when Elisabeth smiled one last time at the other woman and went back into the conference room with Charlie. Megan picked up her diet soda to take a sip. Something had changed in Elisabeth's appearance and she couldn't put her finger on it. She hated to say it but the usually very svelte-looking woman looked like she had gained some weight. She sat down at her computer to do some more digging. As she did some quick searching her mind processing the new data that she had received on the case. A few things clicked into place. One the most important was the song. Elisabeth said the song was from Barber of Seville. She thought, "Wasn't one of the dummy companies called Seville Industries? Oh, wait, it couldn't be that easy." Almost laughing as things clicked into place, Megan figured out that the exchange was going to take place in the town of Barber about 20 miles north of LA. Megan walked quickly over to Don as he came out of the interrogation room.

"Hey, I think I know where it's going down."

Don stopped in his tracks and said, "Yeah? Great, fill me in."

Don stuck his head into the conference room where Elisabeth and his brother were talking. "Hey, we have a location. Elisabeth, can you take my brother home?"

She nodded at him. "Sure."

He turned and headed back to his desk. A few minutes later Charlie and Elisabeth walked by David, Colby, Megan and Don as they were grabbing their jackets and heading out to the location.

He gently stopped her before she left, "Hey, thanks for coming and helping Charlie."

She stared at him for a moment. "I'm glad I could help."

Colby checked his gun in the holster before looking over at Elisabeth. "You should come with us, Elisabeth. It would be great to have you watching my six."

Don pursed his lips. "Yeah, that's not a good idea."

Elisabeth added, "Yeah, sorry Colby. You and your six are you own this time."

Don turned to Elisabeth and asked, "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, okay." She started to walk away but stopped and put her hand on Don's arm, squeezing it. "Hey, be careful, okay?"

He laid his hand over hers for a brief moment when he responded, "I will."

Charlie chimed in, "You all be careful."

Megan watched the small exchange between Don and Elisabeth. She saw the worry in both their faces. She noticed that Elisabeth's hand went to her abdomen almost as a reflex when she told Don to be careful. Something was definitely up with those two and she just couldn't put her finger on it but it wasn't something she was going to think about now. She focused her mind on the case and started to prep herself to go out in the field.

They all finished getting their stuff together and went to go meet the swat team to coordinate the bust.

Elisabeth stepped on the elevator with Charlie. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. He said, "You miss it?"

"Hmm? Miss it?"

"This?"

Understanding filling her eyes, she replied, "Yeah, I do. I miss the rush. Now all I get is a sugar one."

Charlie snorted. "Sugar rush." He gave her a serious look and said, "Knowing what you know now, would you still, you know, have quit?"

She sighed. "Charlie, do you want the truth?"

Charlie looked at the floor and thought about if he did want to hear the truth. He finally said, "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Some days I do wish that I hadn't quit and other days…I wouldn't give up any of this." She placed her hands on her growing belly. "If I hadn't quit I wouldn't have your brother, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that he's worth me giving up what I was but that doesn't mean I don't have regrets."

"Yeah, well we all have regrets, so you're not alone on that."

She gave him a small smile

"So you really love my brother." Charlie said it more as a statement than a question but he wanted to hear what she would say.

"Yeah, I do. I really do. But don't go and tell him that." She gave Charlie a grin.

He laughed. "Your secret's safe with me."

Chapter 29

Megan and Don were driving back from the raid. It was a successful bust. No injuries for his team and they were able to round up everyone that was involved.

He pulled out his cell phone to call Elisabeth to tell her that things went well and that they were on their way back. It was close to 10:30pm. Her cell phone rang a few times before it was answered. The voice on the other end said, "Donnie?"

"Yeah, Dad, it's me. Why are you answering Elisabeth's cell?"

Alan replied, "She stayed for dinner and before I think she knew it she fell asleep on the couch. I haven't had the heart to wake her."

"Oh, okay, don't wake her up. After I drop Megan off at her car I'll swing on over and take her home. We can grab her car after her doctor's appointment."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan. See you when you get here."

"Okay bye dad."

Megan asked, "Is Elisabeth okay?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you said that she has a doctor's appointment."

"Oh, yeah, um, she hasn't been feeling well."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is that why her presence has been so scarce?"

"Yeah, partly, and the bakery was really busy for the holidays. She also had to train two new assistant bakers, but things are calmer now."

Megan watched Don out of the corner of her eye. She said, "Things seem to be going well with you two."

He replied shortly, "Yeah, things are good."

"Your dad seems to have taken a liking to Elisabeth."

"Yeah, he has. She and Charlie get along real well too."

"That's good. It was a good idea to have her look at the code. I'm not sure if we would have cracked it in time."

"Yeah, I still have no idea what made her think of music."

Megan said, "Well, some minds are more receptive to certain patterns than others. Kind of like how Charlie can usually come up with a mathematical solution so quickly. I guess Elisabeth has a mind for music."

Don made a sound of agreement to her comment.

"All right, Don, I can't stand it anymore. What's going on with you two besides your usual antagonism of each other?"

He laughed a little and said, "Can't stand it huh? Well what's going on with you and the physics professor?"

Amused Megan answered, "Touché. I'll answer yours if you answer mine."

Don shook his head and grinned. "You go first."

Megan was about to protest but decided if she was really going to get any answers out of Don she better give up something. She considered her words before speaking. "The physics professor and I enjoy each other's company, so we try our best to get together as often as possible. So that's what going on. Now your turn."

Don replied, "Same here."

Megan groaned, "That's not an answer."

Don smirked, "Well, yours wasn't either."

"Oh, come on Don, things are much more serious with you than you're letting on."

The smile on Don's face faded a bit. "Yeah, things are."

Megan, feeling a little sorry that maybe she poked a nerve she shouldn't have, said, "Hey, Don, you don't have to tell me anything. I just wanted to make sure things are good."

"Megan, things are good, they're just complicated."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, thanks. They'll work out."

"I do have to say that since you've been together you seem happy."

He laughed. "Yeah, I am."

"Good. Being in a relationship is good for you. You actually leave at a somewhat decent time and seem more relaxed. Although for a few weeks there you looked pretty miserable."

"Yeah, well, we went through a bad patch again. But I think--no, I know--we're good now. We both have things we have to work through. But we try to do it together. Neither of us are used to really dealing with feelings so we kind of bump heads a lot."

"Yeah, well, I can understand. You two are quite alike."

"Come on. We're not alike."

Megan started to laugh. "Yes, you are, Don. You just can't see it but you're two halves of the same penny."

He snorted. "If you say so, Megan."

Megan sighed. She said almost to herself, "I can't wait to get home and take a long hot shower and fall into bed."

Don agreed. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

She put her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. She started sifting through her thoughts of the day. She thought about the report she would start tomorrow on the case they just closed and some other paperwork. She would send an email to Larry seeing if he was free for lunch tomorrow, or maybe dinner, maybe she could put in for her wildcard, making her smile softly to herself. Her mind went back to thinking about Elisabeth and her not feeling well. Today she seemed like she felt okay. She actually flushed with excitement when she was talking about the opera and when she and Colby laughed over how much they liked the frog episode. Megan also, noticed Elisabeth seem to glow, the kind of glow that Jill had. Glow? Than it all clicked in Megan's head, Elisabeth passing out those few months ago, how she looked like she gained weight but only in her abdominal area, and lastly, how she unconsciously would put her hand on her abdomen when she talked. No wonder a couple of months ago Don had looked fit to be tied. It made a lot of sense now. How one minute relaxed Don would be up and the next workaholic Don would be back. She knew no one else on their team had caught on to his change in demeanor. You wouldn't have noticed it unless you were watching and part of her couldn't help watching her teammates. She liked keeping an eye on them--probably a bit of the sisterly instinct she had. A small smile started creeping in the corners of Megan's mouth. She thought, "Should I blow it and tell him I think I know what's going on, or wait for him to spread the news?" She thought, "Maybe I'd better not say anything." She figured when they were ready they would tell her, Colby and David. She couldn't even imagine what they were going through. It had to be a roller coaster of emotions for them. Pain, joy, excitement, possibly fear. She thought "I'll at least say something to him letting him know that if either of them wants to talk my ears are always open."

"Hey, Don, tell Elisabeth I said I hope she feels better. Also, if she ever wants to talk or even grab lunch to call me. The same goes for you, too."

"Yeah, I know, and I'll tell her the same. I'm sure she'd like that."

Megan closed her eyes again and started to think about her last lunch with Larry.

"Hey, Megan, I have to tell you something."

Megan opened her eyes and replied, "Yeah, sure."

"I have news. Elisabeth wasn't--I mean isn't sick in the traditional sense. She's pregnant. She's almost twenty weeks along."

Megan pondered her answered for a moment. "Are congratulations in order?"

Don must have understood what Megan was trying to say. "Yeah, it's good. Scary but good. Elisabeth likes to say it's the blind leading the deaf and blind."

Megan smiled. "Well, I'm glad to hear it and I'm happy for you both."

"Yeah, thanks. So now you know the big secret it's your turn."

She grinned. "Let's just say that I could never imagine my world without Larry. And if he decides to carry my baby you'll be the first to know."

Don started to crack up. "You can't say things like that when I'm driving, Reeves. I could crash the car."

She laughed along with him. "So your dad must be ecstatic and Charlie, too?"

Don replied, "You have no idea. Charlie's been running calculations and risks factors and dad's been making Elisabeth a little crazy fussing over her, especially when she was having complications. Back in November we came close to losing the baby."

"Oh, Don. I'm really sorry to hear that. Is everything okay now?"

"Yeah, it was pretty scary for a while. Her doctor had her on restrictive bed rest for about a month. But now she is in her second trimester and doing well. Too thin by my father's estimation but feeling well."

Megan and Don spent the rest of the drive talking and Megan noticed that Don seemed to relax a bit more. When they arrived at the parking garage, Megan asked as she got out of the car, "What are you going to tell Colby and David?"

"I have no idea. I figure I have to tell them something soon."

David was getting out of his car and asked, "Tell us what?"

Megan smiled sweetly at Don and said, "You're on your own with this one, Eppes."

Colby walked up and said, "What's going on?"

Megan started to snicker. "I'll see you later, boys." She got in her car and drove off.

Don's lips tightened. He got back into his car and started to pull out. He stopped and rolled down his window. "Hey, David, you have a niece or a nephew right?"

Perplexed, David answered, "Yeah I do. Why?"

"Good, 'cause you can teach Charlie and maybe Colby the ropes of being an uncle. In a few months Elisabeth and I are going to need your help with our baby." He then put the window up and pulled away.


	21. Chapter 30 & 31

Chapter 30

Don came in the front door to the Craftsman as quietly as possible. He walked into the living room and saw Elisabeth still curled up on the couch sleeping.

Alan looked up from his book and smiled. "Hi, Donnie."

"Hey, dad."

"Are you hungry? There are leftovers from dinner." Alan stood up, placing his book down on the table.

"Nah, I should just get Elisabeth home. I'm sure there's something at home to eat."

"Nonsense. I'll put it in a container and you can heat it when you get home," Alan replied as he walked into the kitchen.

Don sat down on the couch next to Elisabeth and touched her arm, rousing her from her sleep. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, time to wake up--your prince is here."

She opened her eyes slowly and stretched. She looked at Don and asked, "What time is it?"

"It's a little after 11pm. Dad said you fell asleep after dinner."

"Oh, why did he let me sleep so long?" Sitting up, she suppressed a yawn. "Prince huh? Does this mean you're not annoyed at me?"

He sighed, "No. Just don't understand why you kept it from me that you still had clearance."

She shook her head. "I wasn't keeping it from you. I just haven't really thought about it." Rubbing her face more awake she explained, "The short story is I have clearance because back when we weren't, umm, talking before Thanksgiving the NSA approached me about becoming a consultant and gave me a few gigs."

Don flushed angrily, "What? You were consulting in the field? What, are you crazy putting our child in danger like that?"

Elisabeth's eyes blazed back at Don. She took a deep breath before talking. She said in the most even voice she could muster, "There you go again, making assumptions. What do you think, I'm an idiot? Of course I wasn't in the field. It was all encryption work. I can't believe you would think that."

"Oh. "

"You know, Don, I've had enough of this. You make it really hard to tell you things and then when I do tell you things you flip out."

He snapped back, "Well, if you wouldn't hide things."

Elisabeth snorted in disgust.

Alan walked in and said, "What are you two bickering about now? If I didn't know you two better I would say you were about to come to blows."

Don wearily replied, running his hands through his hair, "It's nothing, dad."

Alan looked between the two of them and sighed. "I'm going to go back in the kitchen. You guys have five minutes to work it out." He turned around and walked out of the living room.

Don sighed and reached out to touch her arm. She brushed him off.

He rubbed his jaw. "You're right, I don't make it always easy for you. I just get frustrated with things. So I'm sorry."

Elisabeth's mouth hung open ready to make some angry retort back when she shut it at Don's expression and blew out a harsh breath, "You know, when you go and actually apologize you really make it hard for me to stay mad. Listen, I promise I'm not purposely holding back anything from you. I'm really not. Okay?"

Don looked away for a moment before replying quietly, "Okay."

"Just so you know I haven't done any consulting since a few days before I started having complications. If you want I won't do it anymore if they ask."

"Do you want to give it up?" He met her gaze directly.

"No, Don I don't. I like still working with the NSA but if you want I'll sever ties with them."

He watched her for a few seconds, "No, I won't ask that of you. If you not putting yourself in danger then I can't ask you to give up something that makes you happy, so don't quit." He put his hand on the back of her neck. "It's late, let me get you home." Don called out towards the kitchen. "Hey Dad, we're done fighting if you want to come back in."

Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "Yes, Alan, we're all done."

Alan walked back in and handed Don a plastic container. "Good. Fighting gets you nowhere. Talking is what you have to do."

"Ok. Well, thanks dad. We're heading home now."

Elisabeth kissed Alan on the cheek and said, "Thanks, Alan, for dinner."

"Have a good night you two. Oh wait. Your appointment's tomorrow. Are you gonna find out the sex of the baby?"

Elisabeth nodded. "We can't agree if we want to know or not."

Alan smirked, "Why I am not surprised?"

"Alan, we'll work that out. It won't come to blows. I promise."

"All right young lady, I'll hold you to that. 'Night, son. Take care of my grandchild.

"'Night, dad, I will."

They were walking to the car and Elisabeth said dryly, "You're lucky that your dad interrupted our previous conversation. 'Cause I was about to kick your ass."

Don replied, opening the door for her, "You can't kick my ass. You're pregnant."

"Hey, if Jennifer Garner can go all Alias when she's pregnant, I'm sure I can too. Besides, pregnant or not pregnant I can still kick your ass."

"Yeah, yeah, you're all talk."

She laughed, "So, back to the whole gender thing. What do you want to do?"

"I want to be surprised."

"Come on, I want to know. Maybe we should flip a coin?" she said, as she got into the car.

Don arched an eyebrow before he closed the car door. "Interesting way to solve an argument."

She waited until he got in the driver's side before speaking. "Well, there is also a chance that the doctor is not going to be able to tell the gender anyway. Sometimes the baby doesn't cooperate and they can't get a good look at….the area. And since this is your kid, she's gonna be uncooperative."

He snorted a reply. "So you gonna tell me why you know a whole opera?"

She grinned and replied, "Yeah, but you have to wait till tomorrow. You only get to know one secret a night."

"Ha ha. Hey, I told them. I told Megan and the guys."

"Really?" Her eyebrows rose slightly. "What did they say?"

"Well, Megan wished us well and said to call her if you wanted to talk or just have lunch. As for Colby and David, I  
didn't stick around for a response."

Elisabeth started cracking up. "What do you mean?"

Looking a bit contrite he said, "Yeah, I sort of blurted it out and drove away. "

Elisabeth chuckled before answering. "Fed, you're gonna have a lot of questions to answer tomorrow."

Don sighed. "Yeah, I know."

Chapter 31

Don called out to Elisabeth the next morning as he tied his tie. "Hey, you almost ready?"

"Yeah, just need to put my hair up." She stepped out of the bedroom a few minutes later and pronounced, "I'm ready."

They both made their way downstairs to the parking lot to the black SUV and headed over to the obstetrician's office.

Elisabeth looked over at Don out of the corner of her eye as he drove. "So, what do we want to do? Find out if it is a girl or a boy or not?"

Don kept his eyes on the road and said, "I think I want to be surprised."

"Oh come on, you hate surprises."

When he didn't reply, Elisabeth lapsed into silence.

"Don, I think I know why you don't want to know."

"Yeah, you do? Why don't you enlighten me?"

"I think by knowing if it is a boy or a girl it will make it more real."

Again Don said nothing.

She continued, "Hey, listen, I know how you feel. It's still surreal for me too but there's going to be no denying it pretty soon. I'm gonna look like I swallowed a beach ball or at least that what those dumb books you bought me say." She paused, "But if you really don't want to know that's fine."

They were at a stoplight when Don turned his head to answer her, "You want to know, huh?"

"Yeah, I do. I'd like to be able to give her or him a name. They say that babies can hear before they are born and I think she should know her name."

"Why do you need the doctor to confirm it for you? You keep saying she. You already seem pretty sure it's a girl." Amusement colored his voice.

"Yeah, well, even I can be wrong sometimes."

He snorted, "Sometimes?"

She grinned back at him, "It's been known to happen."

Don thought about what she'd said. Yeah, she was right. Finding out if it was a girl or boy did make it more real. He secretly did want to know. If it was a boy he'd teach him how to play baseball. A girl he would teach how to play basketball.

Don said, "All right."

She excitedly said, "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I guess we're going to get into another argument soon."

"What? What are you talking about? What would we argue about now?"

"Picking a name. That's what we'll argue about."

She started to laugh. "Oh, yeah, that's gonna be real fun. Well, what names do you like?"

"Don for a boy."

"Obviously. But I'm telling you it's gonna be a girl so the name Don is not gonna work."

"Well, why not? She could be a girl named Don. Like the Johnny Cash song, 'A Boy Named Sue.' It could be short for, ummmm, Donna. I think it would be cute."

"Oh, no! Her name is not going to be Donna. Not gonna happen, Fed. You better come up with something else."

He grinned. "See? We're already arguing."

She grinned back at him, "Whatever we pick we have to put some thought into, 'cause some people just name their kids and don't even think. Don't even get me started on some of the names I've heard."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Let's see...Apple, Rumor, Hazel, and Matilda to name a few of the girl names."

"Apple? You're kidding me."

"Oh, I wish I was."

He started to laugh, "How about we name her Kiwi and if it's a boy, Onion?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sounds good."

He grinned back at her. "Come on. We're here. Time to find out if we're having a kiwi or an onion."

Don arrived at the office at about 9:45am and turned on his computer. He took out the small copy of the sonogram he'd been given. In the corner of the picture it said Baby Eppes. He tacked it up on his corkboard way in the back. Megan walked by his desk and said, "I just got a call from the courthouse. The guys that we took down in the raid can't seem to point their fingers fast enough at the man in charge, Colbert. So it looks like he'll be going up-river for a real long time."

"That's good news."

She grinned as she bent over to look at the songogram. "The one guy kept asking how we figured out that the song was the Barber of Seville. Apparently he thought he was really clever with his code."

"Did you tell him we have a secret weapon?"

Megan laughed. "Hey, how was the appointment?"

"It was fine." He leaned in close and signaled for her to move in so he could tell her something.

She quietly said, "Really? Do you guys have any idea on a name?"

"No, not yet. Hey, did you know some celebrity called his kid Apple?"

Megan started laughing. "Yeah, I heard some pretty crazy names, too. You two are not thinking of naming the baby  
Apple or something like that, are you?"

Don just looked at Megan.

She grinned, "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Don noticed that Colby was staring at him. "Colby? You see something you like?"

Colby said, "Uh, no, Don," and quickly hid behind his computer screen.

Don turned to Megan and said, "He's been staring at me since I got in the door."

"Yeah, well the moment I came in David ambushed me and started asking me all kinds of questions. I told him maybe he should talk to you. You really threw them for a loop."

"Only them?"

She chuckled, "Well, I guess me too." She sighed, "I better get back to my desk and finish the report 'cause my boss is such a hard ass."

Don grinned and went back to writing his report. He looked up from his paperwork and caught Colby starring at him again. "Granger, knock it off."

Colby's face turned red as he went back to stare as the computer.

"Uh, hey, Don, " David said nervously as he walked over.

Don replied, "Hey."

David said quietly, "Umm, so what you told me and Colby last night...you weren't kidding, were you?"

Don sighed. "No, David. I wasn't."

"Oh. Ok." David started to walk away and turned back around. "So when is she, um, due?"

"What? Oh, May 29th."

"Oh, good, hey, if you guys need any help…."

Don nodded. "Thanks. I may take you up on that."

Colby wheeled his chair over. "Uh, hey, Don. So do you know if it's a boy or a girl? Or is it too soon to tell something like that?"

Don out of the corner of his eye saw Megan at her desk trying not to laugh at the three men. He said quietly, "It's going to be a girl."

Colby said with a wide grin, "Wow, really? A girl. That's great."

David nodded, "That's great, man."

Don warily asked them, "Any more questions?"

Both men shook their heads and took off back to their desks.

Don got up to get a cup of coffee and he noticed that Megan was still stifling her laughter. He walked over and said,

"Knock it off Reeves, or you'll be the one we call first for diaper duty."

Megan started to laugh harder. She said, "As long as I get to be Auntie Megan."

Don rolled his eyes and went back to his desk.

It was about 6:30 when Don started to pack it in for the day. He bid good night to Colby since he was the only one left  
from his team. As he was starting the car his cell phone rang. He recognized the number and said, "Hi, Elisabeth."

"Hey, Don. Do me a fave? Grab some milk on your way home so I can make one of those damn shakes the doctor wants me to have."

"I can get you some skim milk for your damn shake if you wish," he said trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"Good."

He heard her mumble, "Damn doctor." He laughed.

She said, "What are you laughing at, Fed?"

"You and the doctor today. I thought you were going to smack her when she told you that you're not gaining enough weight."

"Well, I would have if you had not been there. I mean, come on? How much more can I eat?"

"Elisabeth, come on, she said you were a little underweight, that having the shake thing would give you that extra boost."

"Yeah, well, you can go and drink it."

"I'm not the one carrying a baby."

"Yeah, why again am I the one carrying the baby?"

"Uh, 'cause you're the woman."

"Damn. You think by now they would have come up with a way for the man to share more in this."

He laughed. "You can be so difficult sometimes. Yeah, I'll grab the milk. She wanted it made with whole milk right?"

"I swear to god, Eppes, if you come through that door with anything more then one percent milk I'm gonna shoot you with your own gun."

"All right, all right, jeeze. Two percent it is."

"Hey, I said one percent."

"And I believe the doctor said whole or two percent milk."

He heard her muttering under her breath.

"Are you done cursing me and the doctor out so you can tell me if you had any luck on the apartment search?"

He heard her sigh. "Yes, and no. There wasn't much in apartments but I found a small townhouse up for sale that fits our budget."

"And?"

"Well, it's like four blocks from your dad's place and I wasn't sure how you would feel about being closer to where your dad and brother live."

"Umm hmm? That may not be such a bad idea. I'd like my dad to be closer to you in case of an emergency and I can't get there. Maybe you can call and check it out?"

"Um, ok. I'll do that."

"Do you need anything else for your damn shake or anything else while I'm there?"

"No, we're good on stuff and I do have some fresh fruit and yogurt to use. All right let me go, the oven bell is going off." She teased, "Don't want to burn your dinner."

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that. I'll see you later."

After picking up milk he saw that he missed his dad's call. He dialed him back.

"Hey, dad. I see you called."

"Hi, Donnie. Yeah, I did. I was calling to see how the doctor's went."

Don grinned at the phone. "It went fine. They did an ultrasound of the baby and some blood work and the doctor told  
Elisabeth she thinks that her weight is a bit too low. So she now has to make sure she drinks two fruit milk shakes a day. Needless to say she is less then happy about that."

Alan said, "I can imagine. I was actually calling because I wanted to see if you guys minded if I stopped over later. I refinished the rocking chair that your mother rocked you and Charlie in and I think you two should have it."

"Aw, dad, that's really great, but why don't you hang onto it. We're looking for a bigger place."

"All right son, that makes sense."

"Hey, dad, where are you? I hear a lot of background noise."

"Oh, I'm at this little store." He paused. "Ok, I'm at the Carter's outlet. I wanted to get a receiving blanket like your mother had for you and Charlie and I am standing here wondering what to get."

Don smiled at his dad. "Well, if it helps you any you should buy a pink one."

Alan chuckled. "Pink? Really? I'm gonna have a granddaughter? That's wonderful. You know what? I think I'm also going to buy this 'I Love My Grandpop' bib in pink, too."

"Ok, dad. Knock yourself out. I'll talk to you later."

"All right, son. Give Elisabeth my best."

"I will. 'Bye, dad," Don said with one last smile before he hung up.


	22. Chapter 32 & 33

Chapter 32  
Don opened the door to the apartment and called, "Hey, I'm home."

Elisabeth called back from the living room, "We're in here."

Puzzled, Don asked as he was putting the milk in the fridge, "Who's we?"

"Your brother and I. We're having a torrid love affair."

Charlie started to protest. "Hey, what are you doing trying to do? Get me in trouble?"

Don laughed as Elisabeth joined him in the kitchen.

Her lips were twisted with some annoyance as she spoke. "Your brother came by to give me some new calculations. Wasn't that nice?"

Don said, "Be nice. He's only trying to help."

Elisabeth sighed, "I know."

"Torrid love affair huh?"

"Yup, very torrid, it's really his baby, not yours," she said, as she put her arms around his neck.

"Oh, really? Well, then he can be the one you call to bring home milk for your shakes." He grinned and leaned in for a kiss.

Charlie came into the kitchen and said, "Hey, knock it off you two."

Don narrowed his eyes at Charlie. "Does he need to be here?"

"Yeah. I invited him to stay for dinner."

"We could always uninvited him," Don suggested.

Elisabeth grinned back and agreed. "Yeah, we could."

"Ha ha. You two are so not funny." Charlie rolled his eyes at the two of them before asking, "Can I help you with dinner."

Elisabeth smiled. "No. It's almost done. Why don't you two go set the table for me?"

"You got it," Charlie said, as he and Don grabbed plates and silverware.

Charlie started putting down the plates as Don followed with cups and napkins. "Elisabeth was telling me you two are looking for a place with another bedroom."

Don replied, "Yeah, it just makes sense." He walked into the kitchen and took the platter of chicken cutlets from Elisabeth and put it on the table.

Charlie asked when he came back in, "Any luck?"

"Have to ask Elisabeth She's doing the legwork."

Elisabeth enjoyed watched the two brothers as they talked; she had observed that their mutual respect and sibling rivalry was always on the verge of leaking out. Charlie, who still looked up to his older brother--just wanting his approval or even just to impress him--and Don, trying to see deeper than his kid brother to the man who had grown into a renowned scholar and mathematician.

"Elisabeth? Hey, Earth to Elisabeth?"

"Huh? What?"

Don asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine. Why?"

"Well, you were doing a Charlie. You know, staring off into space?"

Charlie scowled. "Hey, why is it a Charlie?'

Don chuckled. "'Cause you do the same thing?"

"I do not." After a second or two he reconsidered. A sheepish grin came over his face. "Oh, wait. I guess I do."

"It's nothing. I just was listening to you two talk to each other."

Charlie gave her a strange look. "Okay."

She smiled. "I like watching you two interact with each other. You know siblings. It's just interesting."

Don snorted. "Well, I hope you are not using us as a frame of reference of how normal sibling interact with each other."

She gave him grin and squeezed his hand. "True. There is nothing normal about either of you."

Charlie snorted too. 'Well, isn't that the truth. Hey, pass me the risotto. This is really good."

Elisabeth handed the bowl to him. "Thanks."

Don said, "Are you all right? You've hardly touched your dinner."

"Uh, yeah. Just not really hungry." She paused, narrowing her eyes at Don. "And don't even think of running off and telling Dr. Shillings."

Charlie sat between Don and Elisabeth with a confused look.

Don explained, trying to keep a straight face, "She's just mad 'cause the doctor told her to eat more since, she doesn't think she's gained enough weight."

She argued, "I've gained over fifteen pounds."

Charlie asked excitedly, "Hey, you had an appointment today? Dad said you were gonna find out if it is a boy or a girl."

Elisabeth stood up to go back in the kitchen. "Don, why don't you tell Uncle Charlie all about it and the name that you want?"

Charlie beamed. "Yeah, tell Uncle Charlie all about it."

"The doctor said it look likes we're having a girl."

"Really? A girl! That's great. Oh wait--we don't know anything about little girls."

Elisabeth stuck her head out of the kitchen and called out, "You're right. You two are clueless about girls."

"Hey, I take offense at that."

Charlie chimed in with Don, "Me too."

Elisabeth responded by laughing at them.

Don grinned. "Anyway, I keep teasing her telling her I want to name the baby Don, girl or boy."

Charlie started to laugh. "Don's not a girl's name."

"Well, it could be short for Donna or something."

Elisabeth walked back into the kitchen with the water pitcher. "We are definitely not naming this kid Donna. I hate the name Donna."

Don asked, "What do you have against the name Donna?"

"It belonged to this popular girl in high school and she was a real piece of work." She made a face.

"So you weren't popular in high school?" Charlie asked.

"Nah, not really. I had a bunch of friends but I wasn't one of the cool kids." She shrugged. "I guess I was a geek."

"Me too," Charlie added as some pain crept into his voice.

"That was all in the past Chuck. Now you're a math rock star," Don said, squeezing his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah." A small smile appeared on Charlie's lips in response to Don's words. "Don't call me Chuck."

Elisabeth shook her head in amusement at the hated nickname. "Anyway, so the name Donna is out but I have some others in mind."

"Are you gonna share?" Don's one eyebrow rose in question.

"Yeah, but only with you. I think her name should be a surprise for everyone. Nothing personal, Charlie"

Charlie put up his hands to show that he understood. "I think it's great that you're a having a girl. I am sure you guys will give her a great  
name." He paused for a second before adding, "Do you think she'll be good in math?"

Chapter 33

After Charlie left Don settled down to relax for an hour or so before going to bed. Elisabeth was on the other side of the couch with her feet  
up reading. Don looked over at her. She had her MP3 player out with the headphones surrounding her belly. She had done some reading that playing music for the baby was good for prenatal development.

"What's the baby listening too?" he asked.

Elisabeth looked up from her book. She gave him a mischievous glance. "The Barber of Seville."

Don laughed. "Very appropriate."

She tentatively said, "High school was hard for Charlie, huh?"

Don stopped laughing. "Yeah. It was. Back then I knew but I didn't know that it was as bad as it was."

"I watched your face as he described what it was like for him." She looked at him. "Do you still blame yourself?"  
He sighed and put his head on the back on the couch. After a moment or two he replied, "Yeah. Sometimes I do."

"Well, you shouldn't. I mean this is just speaking from my view and I really don't know what's it like to have a sibling but you should stop. Think about it. Charlie could have come to you at any time in high school and told you it was hell. Furthermore, you could have been more open to your brother's feelings and helped him. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. It's over and done with, right?"

Don shrugged. He knew she was right but it was hard sometimes not to blame himself for not being there for his brother more.

"Anyway, high school was what it was for all of us. Sometimes bad and sometimes good. Some of us had good experiences some of us had horrible ones. It's a shame, but it is what it is." She paused. "I do think you should know that because of his not so great experience he  
has great empathy for others."

"Yeah, he does. I'm proud of that fact that he has become who he is. I'm really proud of him."

Elisabeth smiled, "And he you. He's proud of you too."

Don looked hard at Elisabeth. "What makes you think that?"

Elisabeth shrugged, "Hey, Fed, I may not be on a par with Megan but I do know a thing or two about reading people. I see how both of you  
two look at each other. Pride and respect flows but is never spoken of. I guess it's what happens when your brother stops being just your brother and becomes your friend. Too bad you two don't tell each other that."

"Yeah, we should, shouldn't we?"

"You should talk to each other more."

"And when did you learn to start talking about things?"

She gave him a small smile as she moved closer to him. "From this guy I know. He keeps telling me the same thing."

Amused, Don answered, "Sounds like a smart guy."

"He can be," she said with a mischievous smile. "Too bad he's with this pregnant girl 'cause I would so go out with him."

Don laughed. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the neck. "It may be hard to steal him away, you know. Pregnant  
woman have a certain allure to them. I should know."

She grinned back as he kissed a trail up the side of her neck. "Speaking of talking about stuff, I've been thinking about our living situation  
and today I found out that I have the resources for us to buy a small house or something along those lines."

Don said, "I've seen our finances, and unless you've won the lottery in the last week it doesn't sound feasible."

"Lottery, no, but something came in the mail and--well, I have to show you."

Don tried to suppress a sigh. "Ok, go on."

"Before my mother died she made me sell her beauty shop and combine it with the money we had from selling my father's law firm. She  
said the money would be for my future. She wanted me to invest it. I did what she wanted and pretty much just left it where it was. I opened the mail today and this came." She showed him the statement that had come in the mail.

Don eye's opened wide as he sputtered, "You have this much money?"

"Yeah, I mean it's not that much but enough for a down payment on a house and most of the mortgage with a little left over for an  
emergency."

Don said, "Yeah, and to buy a car or three."

Elisabeth groaned. "Aw come on, don't tell me your damn male pride is going to kick a gift horse in the mouth."

Don replied, "This is more money than I have made in the last 10 years."

"Yeah, me too, but this is first time I have opened the statement in seven and a half years, so it was a shock for me, too." Trying to soothe his pride she said, "Think of it this way. It's not really my money. I was just the custodian till she came along." She pointed to her belly. "Everything I do--everything we do must be for her future. You know that's partly why you asked me to marry you." She pointed to the engagement ring that was on a chain around her throat. "So get over it. Accept it. Like you tell me."

He was about to argue about why he had asked her to marry him but he knew she was right. He loved her, she loved him but he did ask her to marry him partly because of the baby. He acquiesced to her words, but grumbled, "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

She grinned. "God, no. I didn't say you would have to like it. Just accept it." She snuggled in closer. "Hey, I have a bone to pick with you."

"Come on, you've beat me up enough for one night."

She took his hands in hers and said quietly, "Maybe, but I do have to make a point about something. You never really asked me. You just gave me the ring. So I'm going to wear the ring on this chain till we really are ready." She looked him straight in the eyes and said, "I do love you and you know my answer will be always be yes, but I want you to really ask me when it's the right time, not cause we should."

Don squeezed her hands for a moment before pulling her close to him. He kissed the top of his head and wondered what else life would bring him.  



	23. Chapter 34, 35 & 36

Chapter 34

Early in March Megan answered her cell phone. "Reeves."

"Hey, Megan, it's Elisabeth."

"Hi. How are you?"

"I'm well. I wanted to call and tell you thanks for the stuffed giraffe for the baby. It was really sweet of you."

Megan smiled, "It was my pleasure. I was out picking up something for my nephew and I just saw it and thought it was cute."

"Well, thanks again. I actually have an ulterior motive for calling you. I was wondering if you were free sometime for lunch and maybe to help me shop for some maternity clothes. Because unfortunately I can't keep wearing my clothes any longer,"

"Yeah, that sounds like it would be fun. How about Saturday?"

"That sounds perfect. How about I meet you at Romano's on 23rd and then we can hit this maternity consignment shop a couple blocks away."

"Sounds good. See you about 12:30?"

"Great. See you then."

Saturday came around and Elisabeth met Megan in front of the restaurant.

Megan said, "Oh, wow, look at you. You look great."

"Thanks," Elisabeth replied with a smile.

Megan, hand out, asked, "May I?"

"Sure. Go ahead. Put your hand here." Elisabeth took Megan's hand and put it on the left side of her abdomen. "Wait a second. There, did you feel it? She's a feisty thing."

Megan laughed. "Wow, just like her mom."

Both ladies walked in the restaurant and were promptly seated at a table.

Megan said, "I can't believe how much you are showing now compared to when I saw you--what, three weeks ago?"

"Yeah, it surprises me, too. I swear I woke up one morning and all of sudden pop! I had a watermelon where I used to have an abdomen."

Megan gave an indulgent smile to her friend. She said, "Pending motherhood seems to suit you."

"Thanks. ...I think."

After lunch the ladies found their way to the maternity consignment shop that Elisabeth wanted to check out. As they entered the store Elisabeth turned to Megan and said, "I love a bargain."

Megan helped Elisabeth sort through some of the racks. All the clothing was brand new with tags still on it. At one point Elisabeth pulled out a pair of overalls with a huge smiley face on it and said, "I can't believe someone would wear this?"

Megan took one look at the big yellow smiley and laughed. "Yeah, I really don't think that's you."

Rolling her eyes, Elisabeth said, "You think?"

Megan's eyes went to the chain that Elisabeth had on her neck. She spied on the silver chain two rings. One was a signet ring that Elisabeth had worn on her left pointer finger since Megan had met the ex-operative. The other was the engagement ring that Don confided to Megan that he gave to Elisabeth.

Elisabeth noticed Megan looking at the rings round her neck. She touched them as she said, "The signet ring was my dad's. It's our family crest. It's a griffin wearing a crown." She pulled it out for Megan. "And the words are our family motto. Memor Esto. It means: 'Be Mindful'."

Megan said, "You've worn that ring since I met you."

"Yeah, but my fingers have swollen so I can't really wear it right now."

"That's understandable."

Both ladies were silent for a second or two. Elisabeth broke it by saying, "The other one is from Don."

"He told me he gave it to you," Megan said. "You don't to explain anything to me."

Elisabeth nodded. "I know, but it would be nice to talk to some else about it other than Don. He can be a bit of a pill sometimes."

Megan snorted. "Sometimes?"

Elisabeth grinned back. She touched the ring on the chain and said, "It doesn't fit right now either."

"It's really lovely. Are those garnets on either side?"

"Yeah, they're my birthstone." A small smile came over her lips. "He gave it to me on Christmas."

Megan asked carefully, "Have you talked about a date?"

"No. I mean yes, I told him it would be smarter if we wait till after the baby comes."

Megan replied, "Yeah, that can be the smart thing to do."

"I'm sensing a 'but'."

Megan pursed her lips in thought. "Do you want the profiler answer or the 'out shopping with a friend' answer?"

"What's the real answer? The one that's the truth?"

"The profiler answer."

"Then that's the one I want to hear."

"I figured as much. Are you putting off picking a date because you truly want to wait till after the baby is born or because you're afraid to commit?"

"Uh. Well, isn't that the million dollar question. Well, do you want the pastry chef answer or the 'ghost' answer?"

"Ah. That's answer enough."

"Yeah. Well. Let me get through this month and I'll worry about the next."

Megan waited for her to say something else but nothing was forthcoming.

Elisabeth changed the subject. "If you don't mind me asking, how are things with Professor Fleinhardt?"

Megan smiled. "Good. We enjoy each other's company and, well, we're actually planning a weekend getaway next weekend to a classic car show."

"Really? That's sounds like fun. I really like him. He always makes me feel at ease."

"I like him too. He does have that way about him."

"Yeah, well, I think you more than just like him Megan."

Megan laughed. "I think you're probably right."

"It doesn't take a profiler to see that." She gave Megan a wide smile and pulled out another ugly outfit. Rolling her eyes, she put it back on the rack. "So you have a nephew. Any tips you think could share? 'Cause it's been years since I've been around kids. I think even Don has been around more kids then I have in the last seven years."

"Patience. Lots of patience."

She crinkled up her nose, "Oh, yeah. Well, I'm screwed."

Megan started to laugh at her expression. She said, "I'm sure you'll be fine."

She sighed at Megan. "I'm holding you to that statement, Reeves. I am so holding you to that. Anyway, you still think you can help us move in two weeks?"

"Yeah. Larry and I are at your disposal. You close next week right?"

"Yup. Tuesday."

"You found a place pretty fast."

"What good are connections if you can't use them?"

"True." Megan raised an eyebrow. "Larry told me that he and Charlie are helping you design the baby's room?"

"Yup. But that's all you get to know. They both have been sworn to secrecy. You'll see. It's going to be absolutely fabulous."

"Well, I'm looking forward to it. Afraid, but looking forward to it."

Elisabeth winked. "That's exactly what I'm going for. Fear."

Chapter 35

"Hey, Dad. What's all this?" Don looked around at the dining room table. It had pink and yellow paper with rubber ducks on it.

"Is Elisabeth with you?" Alan looked around and started to cover up the papers in front of him.

"Nah, she's having lunch with Megan."

"Oh, good." He pulled out the papers.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"Well I'm planning a little party for her. Kind of like a baby shower."

Don just looked at his dad for a second. "Did you say that you are planning a baby shower?"

"Well, yeah. I planned a wedding, so I figured I could do this. Anyway, it's just a small one. I figured since she doesn't have any family to throw one for her and I know your mother would have done it, I could instead. I already have Glenda from the bakery doing the pastries and Donna helping with the food."

"Uh, dad, you do know that Elisabeth really doesn't like us making fuss over her."

"That's why it's going to be small. Nice and low-key. Your brother is making up some games--I think he said calculations on the best way to guess what day and time the baby will be born. Kind of like a pool. And Amita was kind enough to take charge of decorations. And I guess you can be in charge of getting her here."

"Ok, but how do you think you'll keep her from figuring it out? Because if you think I'm suspicious, she's worse."

"Ah, we'll just tell her we're having a barbeque or something. Like I said, nice and small. Oh, it will be guy-friendly so you can tell David and Colby to come."

"Uh, Dad, I can't really see Colby at a baby shower. Or David, for that matter."

"Nonsense. Just tell the man there will be plenty of food and those cookies he likes. Besides, from what Charlie said he and David are very excited for you."

"You mean more like they want to embarrass the hell out of me whenever the opportunity strikes."

Alan grinned. "Maybe, but none the less you tell them. Don't worry, the ladies will be inside doing lady things and we guys can sit outside and put a game on and eat."

Don just shook his head. "Ok, whatever you want. I am sure it will be nice."

Alan sighed. "Yeah, it will be. I just wish your mother could have been here for this. She would have been so excited to become a grandmother."

"I know. I feel the same way. But you know she's still with us."

Alan cleared his throat and nodded to his son. "So, do you think ducks or giraffes?"

Chapter 36

It was late March when Robin Brooks stepped off the elevator onto the busy floor of the LA FBI office. It has been almost ten months since she had been there last. She looked around and saw many familiar faces and greeted them with a quick hello. Normally she would take time to speak with the people she knew, but today she was on a mission. She had come to the office to see one person, and that was Special Agent Don Eppes. When she ended things between them way back it wasn't because she had lost interest in him. It was because she was offered a once-in-a-lifetime case. She would be side chairing a big case in DC and she needed to go to the capital to help prepare. But ten months and a guilty verdict later hadn't erased the man from her mind. When the case wrapped up she was offered either her old position in LA or a new one in DC and without hesitation she knew which one she wanted. To be truthful, Don wasn't the only reason she came back. All of Robin's family was here, but the idea of reconnecting with him only made the idea of returning to LA sweeter.

She stopped and thought for a second. Maybe she should have called to make sure he was not involved with anyone. Almost laughing to herself, she thought, "Yeah, right." Robin knew that Don's reputation made it unlikely that he was involved with anyone. If so, it was only a fling. They had only gone out a handful of times and they were never able to really get serious because, as usual, he or she would embed themselves in some new case. She could feel her heart beat a little quicker as some of the more adult memories entered her mind. As she walked over to his desk she made eye contact with Agent Granger while he was on the phone. He gave her a smile and nodded hello as he continued talking. At Don's desk, Robin did not find Agent Eppes but a strange woman occupying his chair. The woman was at least seven months pregnant and looked vaguely familiar, but for the life of her Robin could not figure out who she was and why this woman was at Don's desk.

Robin said, "Excuse me. I was looking for Special Agent Don Eppes."

The woman looked up from the file she was working on. Robin noticed that the pregnant woman regarded her coolly. "Agent Eppes is in the conference room with his brother Dr. Charles Eppes."

Robin nodded. "Thanks." Robin noticed the woman was watching her walk towards the conference room. She felt a small chill up her spine like she was being analyzed and assessed for any threat that she may present. Inside, she saw Don and his brother Charlie having an animated discussion over something on the overhead. She knocked on the outside. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Don turned around. When he saw who it was he gave one of his great smiles and said, "Hey, Robin. Great to see you. I didn't know you were back."

She smiled as her heart fluttered in response. "Yeah, just yesterday. We wrapped up the case and they offered me a position at the capital. But I decided I missed LA so I'm back." She turned to Charlie. "Hi, Charlie. Good to see you, too."

"Same here. Welcome back."

Robin said, "Hey, Don, if you're free I was hoping we could have lunch."

Before Don could answer Colby came into the room. "Hey, Don, surveillance spotted Thompson at his girlfriend's."

"Good. I want to bring him in for questioning. You're with me." He turned his attention back to Robin." We'll have to catch up later--duty calls. Hey, Charlie, don't keep Elisabeth here too long. She is really supposed to be home resting."

Charlie replied as he started to write something else on the overhead. "Yup. You got it."

Don said, "I'll see you around, Robin. It's really great to have you back. Hopefully we'll be working together."

Robin watched Don leave the room and stop at his desk. She watched him say something to the woman at his desk, who nodded and replied. She noticed that Don gave her a hard look, at whatever she said. The woman shook her head at Don and gave him a small glare. Robin watched Don take one last look at the pregnant woman and leave with Colby.

The pregnant woman came into the conference room. "Hey, Charlie, I've finished decoding this for you. So if you don't need anything else, I'm gonna head on home."

Charlie replied, "Oh, great, thanks. No, that was all. Thanks so much for doing that. It freed me up to work out this Linear Discriminant Analysis."

"No problem. I'll see you later."

Charlie started writing on the blackboard but than stopped, "Hey, are you gonna be okay going home by yourself? Do you want me to go with you?"

The pregnant woman sighed in frustration. "No, Charlie. I'll be fine. I've called a cab. I'll talk to you later." She gave one last glance at Robin as she left the room.

Robin decided that this was her cue to leave too. She would just hook up with Don later. She said, "Hey Charlie, I'm going to go too."

"Yeah, sure. Take care."

Robin started to go but her curiosity won out and she asked, "Charlie, who is that woman? Is she one of your students or something?"

"Um huh? Oh, No that's Elisabeth. She's on loan to us from the NSA. She's been doing some decoding for me on this case."

"Oh."

"Usually Amita would help me but she has her own work to do. Did you ever meet Amita?"

"I think once."

"Well, she has a full case load of her own now so she isn't really free. Besides, I work well with Elisabeth. She can do some of the easier work--well, not easier, but more time-consuming--freeing me up to work out the algorithms."

"Sounds like you two make a good team."

"Yeah, we do." He grinned at some private thought and said, "It also allows Don to keep an eye on her. If you haven't noticed she's pregnant and she has a tendency to over-do things."

Robin was puzzled by Charlie's comment. Why would Don want to keep an eye on this woman?

Charlie continued talking. "Yeah, we're all really excited. Especially my dad, since it's his first grandchild and all."

Robin stopped in her tracks and said, "Wait. What did you say?"

"Huh. Elisabeth is having our family's first grandchild. It's going to be a girl."

"Oh, that great news. Best wishes for the two of you."

Charlie looked deadpan at Robin. "Um, do you think the baby's mine? Oh, no, no." He chortled with laughter. Charlie finally composed himself and said, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh. The baby's not mine. Elisabeth is Don's girlfriend. She's having his baby."

"I'm sorry, did you say the baby was Don's?"

"Yeah, great, huh?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Robin's mind was reeling. She tried to comprehend that Don Eppes was going to be a father and was actually in a serious relationship. It was crazy. If she didn't know better she would have pinched herself. She said one last goodbye to Charlie and excused herself. She kept thinking who was this woman that Don had become so enamored with? No, trapped him--that must be it. It was so absurd. She stepped on the elevator before the doors could close. The woman named Elisabeth got on. Robin watched the woman out of the corner of her eye. She could see why he was into her. Dark, lustrous hair and pretty shaped eyes. Of course, she had perfect skin. It was luminous and creamy but she had a feeling that it was always perfect even if she wasn't pregnant. Robin also figured she had a killer body too since her arms were very shapely like she lifted weights or something. Even pregnant she was a vision--the kind of woman other women hated for her physical perfection.

Robin cleared her throat and said, "Dr. Eppes--I mean Charlie said you're having a girl. Congrats."

Elisabeth looked at the prosecutor. "Thanks."

Robin asked, "Uh, have we met before? I feel like I've seen you before."

"Yes, sometime last year. My team and I were working with the FBI on a case and you obtained a warrant for us."

"Ah, yes. That's it. The cyber virus case. That was a tough case."

Robin noticed Elle's eyes cloud over. She replied, "Yes, it was."

"So how far along are you?"

"Umm, almost thirty-three weeks."

"Your baby will be here sooner than you think."

Elisabeth touched her stomach and smiled to herself. "Yup. I can't believe it's almost over. It's gone pretty fast. This whole thing has gone pretty fast."

"Charlie told me that the baby is yours and Don's. So, have you two been together for long?"

"Uh, no, not really. Been seeing each other since May or so."

He certainly didn't waste any time after me, did he, Robin thought. Both women stepped off the elevator. Robin glibly commented, "Wow, you move fast."

Elisabeth grabbed Robin's arm and said darkly, "Excuse me?"

"Uh, well, I just was saying that you haven't been together for very long to--you know--be having a baby…." Her voice trailed off.

Robin watched the woman look at her. She noticed a small glint of amusement in her eyes colored by a shot of steel. Elisabeth said in a steady voice, "I see." Reading something in Robin's face, Elisabeth continued, "You used to go out with him didn't you?"

Robin replied coolly, "So?"

Robin watched a small icy smile form on Elisabeth's lips. "You broke up with him to go to DC isn't that right? And you thought you would just waltz in here and he would jump at the chance to see you again. Didn't really formulate your plan too well now, Ms Brooks, did you? Well, too bad. Don Eppes is all mine. He was mine before this all started." She pointed to her pregnant belly. "You forfeited everything when you left. But, you leaving didn't really matter. You weren't the one for him anyway. Even if you were still here he would have been mine. The truth is, I'm the only one for him. Go on, ask him. He'll say the same--that I am the one, the only one he should be with and there will be no one else besides me ever." She walked away as Robin stood gawking at her.

Elisabeth got into the cab she had hailed. As she climbed in she considered what she had said to Ms Brooks. It was a bit catty. Okay, a lot catty, but she did deserve it. Serves the woman right for being rude. She had no idea what was going on and all the circumstances. She touched her stomach and considered the presumption of Robin Brooks. She felt the baby kick hard in her left quadrant and muttered under her breath. "Oof. Don't worry, sweetheart, no one is going to take your daddy away. Pregnant or not pregnant Robin Brooks is no match for me."


	24. Chapter 37 & 38

Chapter 37 (Middle of May at the FBI office)

"Eppes."

"Hey, Don. It's Charlie. I think I may have found a connection between the four victims."

"Yeah? Great."

"All of your victims had lab tests done by US Labcorp on 63rd and Cherry."

"Great work. We'll see if we can get a copy of their employees and maybe a list of anyone who has been tested there."

Don hung up the phone and turned to Megan, David and Colby.

"Charlie says our four victims all intersect at US Labcorp. Colby and David, I want you to head down there and see if they will voluntarily give you a list of their employees and anyone who has come in for lab testing."

David replied, "We may be able to get the employee list but I don't know if they'll give us a list of their patients. It's gonna be tough with the whole HIPAA law in effect now."

"Well, ask anyway. If they won't give us what we need then we'll see if Robin Brooks can get us a warrant."

Colby and David nodded and headed out to the car.

"Megan, I want you to check with the families of the victims and see what tests they were having done. Maybe there is some type of commonality."

"On it.

Don went back to his desk. His phone rang. "Eppes, It's Sabello. I wanted to give you an update on the autopsy of Jolie Naro. Your forth victim was killed in the same fashion as the other three, nine millimeter to the temple after being drugged into unconsciousness. But this one was bit more gruesome--she was also stabbed in her abdomen over thirty times post mortem and she was three months pregnant."

Don swore under his breath. "Damn."

"I'm waiting for the lab test to come back to confirm that she also had Rohypnol in her system like the others. Oh, and Eppes--we also have some fibers that we pulled and sent to the lab for testing."

Rubbing his temple Don replied, "Okay, thanks for the update."

"No problem. I'll send the official report up by the end of the day."

Megan came up to Don's desk. "Hey Don, I have some news. Just got off the phone with the families of the first three victims. Seems they all had some sort of pregnancy or fertility testing done at the facility."

Don nodded for her to continue. "Both women had their pregnancy tests done through US Labcorp and were also using the facility to do other prenatal lab tests. Furthermore, Phillip Long had fertility testing there and his wife is using the lab for her prenatal care. I bet if we check on our forth victim she also used the facility for pregnancy-related tests."

Don continued to rub his temples in frustration. He told Megan about the ME's findings. He muttered almost to himself, "Who is this sicko who stabbed a pregnant woman?"

Megan replied, "Sick, yes, and very angry. I think our killer is a woman. She is trying to show compassion by drugging them first so that they don't feel pain but she is also very methodical in using a gun on them. This latest woman I think threw her over the edge. I feel she is going to take more victims and become increasingly violent."

"More victims?"

"Oh, yeah."

Don's cell phone rang. It was David, who said, "Don, I'm faxing over a list of the employees from the lab but they wouldn't budge on the patient list. Said that we would need a warrant."

As Don walked over to the fax machine he told David about the ME's findings. He received the fax and quickly read over the names. "Megan believes that killer is a woman. I'll call Robin to see if we can get a warrant but I want you to ask if any of these employees dealt with all four of our victims." He paused. "David, why is this last name Mary Parker handwritten in?"

"Uh, HR said that she just came back from leave. The computer hadn't been updated."

"David, do me a favor. When you ask HR about the employees, start with Mary Parker. Call it a hunch."

"Sounds good."

David called back a few minutes later. "Eppes."

"Don, HR didn't want to tell us about Mary Parker but Colby turned on the charm and got a nurse to talk."

Don let a small grin come over his features. "Go on."

"Mary Parker was out for severe depression. Seems she was seven months pregnant when the baby died in utero. It gets real bad after that. The nurse told Colby that Mary had to deliver the baby since she was so far along. She came back to work about a month before the first killing. The nurse said that she really hasn't been the same. Flying off the handle for no reason and prone to crying fits. HR also confirms that she was the lab tech that handled blood work on all four victims."

"David, I want you to find Mary Parker. If she's not there check her home. Just find her. I want you to talk to her."

"Got it."

Don filled Megan in on what David and Colby had found out.

Megan said, "Don, I hate to put all my eggs in one basket but I think this woman is most likely our killer."

Something in Don's head clicked. "Megan, what's today's date?"

"Um, the 13th."

Don's eyes trailed over to the sonogram that he tacked up over his phone. He said, "Oh, God no!"

Megan's eyes turned to him. "Don, what's wrong?"

"US Labcorp is the lab that Elisabeth goes to. She has another appointment there today." His eyes looked frantic. "I have to call her and tell her not to go."

Megan said, "Don, calm down. What time is her appointment?"

"It's for 4:30. I was going to take her since she can't drive but I didn't think I would be done in time, so my dad is suppose to take her."

Megan said gently, "Okay, well, it's only after 2pm. I am sure she hasn't left yet. Why don't you call her and tell her to cancel the appointment at Labcorp until we clean this up? I'm sure she can go to another lab."

Don nodded. "Okay, yeah, that's a good idea."

He called her on her cell phone but there was no answer. He redialed. "Damn." He tried the house phone when his dad answered. "Hello."

"Dad, is Elisabeth with you?" Don heard Megan's phone trill as he talked to his dad.

"Of course she is. I just got here to take her for her test."

"Dad, let me talk to Elisabeth."

"Okay, Son." Don heard Alan pass Elisabeth the phone. Her voice came over the phone as she asked, "Hey, you change your mind about coming to the appointment?"

Don demanded, "Why didn't you answer your cell?"

Taken aback, she replied, "Umm what?"

"Your cell. I just called it."

"Oh, the battery died."

Megan interrupted Don. "Don, that was David. They went to Mary Parker's desk and she was not there. There were some files out on her desk and Elisabeth's was one of them."

Don felt his instincts kick in when he said to Elisabeth, "Listen, I want you to cancel your appointment and tell my dad to stay with you till I get home, got it? Lock all the window and doors. Don't go anywhere. Do you understand me?"

"Excuse me?"

He said fiercely into the phone, "You heard me. Cancel the appointment and stay there."

Her voice turned hard as she answered him. "Don, do you want to tell me what's going on?" Before he could answer her Don heard the doorbell. "Hold on. Someone's at the door."

Don felt his blood start to fill with ice. "Don't answer it."

On the other end Don heard her answer the door. "Hi, can I help you? Excuse me?" Don heard Elisabeth say, "Hey, let go of my arm."

He than heard his dad yell, "Hey! What do you think you are doing?"

Don yelled into the phone, "Elisabeth? Dad? What's going on?"

He heard a crash and some glass breaking. The last thing Don Eppes heard before the line went dead was the sound of a gun being fired.

Chapter 38

Don yelled, "Elisabeth?"

Megan turned to Don and said, "What's wrong? Don?"

He slammed the phone closed hung and started to leave. "I think Mary Parker is at my house now. I just heard a gun shot on the other line while talking to Elisabeth. We need to go to my house now."

Megan's eyes grew wide. She grabbed her jacket and followed Don quickly to the car.

Don's knuckles were white from the death grip he had on the steering wheel. He pushed the speed limit as much as he dared. The red lights and siren blared as he drove to the house. His heart was thudding so loudly it was making his head hurt. He thought it might jump out of his throat.

"Megan, call my dad's cell phone again?"

Megan took the phone from Don and dialed it. After trying a few times, she turned to Don and said, "Still no answer." After that she called dispatch told them to have a medical team and backup on scene if needed.

He swore under his breath. "Damn."

Don kept thinking about the sound of the gunshot. Had either his father or Elisabeth been shot? Was either of them injured? Was the baby ok? The miles between them were less then ten but today they felt like a million.

He felt Megan's hand on his shoulder to show support. She said to him, "Don, I won't tell you not to worry but we don't have enough information to truly access the situation. Until we can get to your house we can't make any assumptions."

Don knew she only spoke the truth. They didn't know what happened. He shouldn't jump to conclusions but he couldn't help it. He felt complete and utter dread. It was the same feeling he felt when the sniper took a shot at Charlie. He pulled onto his street. The street was devoid of any other cars except for a Ford Taurus parked behind his dad's car. They stepped out and put their vests on.

Megan and Don approached the front door. They noticed it was open. They drew their weapons and moved cautiously in. They found an unknown woman's body crumbled on the floor in the foyer. She had a gun shot wound to her head. Megan leaned down to check her pulse. She looked at Don and shook her head.

Don said, "Dad? Elisabeth? It's Megan and me."

Alan said, "Don? We're in the kitchen."

Don and Megan moved into the living room. He saw Elisabeth lying on her side and his dad kneeling next to her. Don noticed that his dad was covered in blood. His eyes went to the floor where Elisabeth was laying and saw his dad was holding a towel to Elisabeth's abdomen trying to stop the bleeding.

Alan turned and said in a shaky voice, "Don, that woman shot Elisabeth. I tried to stop her but I couldn't. I called an ambulance. Oh god, I can't stop the bleeding."

Don fell to his knees and saw that Elisabeth had a gunshot wound in her left side. He touched her neck to check for a pulse. He whispered "Oh please, please don't be ..."

Elisabeth opened her eyes slightly and whispered, "No. Still here, Fed." He watched her face contort in pain. "Don, the baby?"

"It's gonna be ok. The ambulance is on the way. Just stay still." He stroked her face.

She started to shiver, "Oh God, it hurts. Don, please listen to me. Whatever happens tell them..." She hissed in pain. Tears streamed down her face, "Tell them to only worry about the baby. Promise me." She grabbed his hand. "Please promise me."

"Elisabeth, shh. Lie still." Don turned to his dad and said," Dad, you hurt?"

"No, Donnie, I'm fine. Who was that woman? Why did she attack Elisabeth?"

Don, trying to stay calm, said, "I don't know, Dad."

He turned his attention back to Elisabeth. She licked her lips and her voice was weakening. He leaned down so he could hear her. She said, "I want you to promise to take care of our baby no matter what happens to me. Don, please take care of our little girl."

He was about to tell her stop saying that, she was going to be okay. He saw a familiar look of steel come back into her eyes. She said, "And no matter what I don't want you to get back together with Robin. She can't have you. Nadine, maybe. I like her, she's funny. But promise me no Robin."

Don just stared at Elisabeth. His mind reeled. "What the hell was she talking about?"

"I've seen the way she watches you. Fed, promise me no Robin."

He shook his head at her. "You pick a funny time to be jealous."

"Not jealous. Just don't think she's good enough for you."

"Elisabeth, stop saying things like that. You're going to be okay. You have to be." He stepped back to allow the medics to attend to her.

Don climbed into the ambulance to ride along with Elisabeth. He held Elisabeth's hand and watched her eyes try to stay open.

One medic spoke to Don. "Agent Eppes. The bullet pierced her womb. She's lost a lot of blood and her water has broken. We've gotten her stable but there is a good chance that when we get to the hospital they'll want to deliver the baby."

He nodded numbly. He listened to sound of the sirens as they blared through the streets. He felt Elisabeth squeeze his hand and turned to look at her. The oxygen mask obscured most of her face. Don thought, "She looks so small laying there."

When they arrived at the hospital Don watched them wheel her into the ER. A flurry of doctors and nurses descended upon the gurney and started administrating to Elisabeth. He vaguely heard a nurse ask him to step out of the room and allow them to do their work.

Don stood outside of the door and watched through the glass panel as they put an IV line into Elisabeth. A few minutes passed and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned. It was his dad.

Alan said quietly, "Come on, Donnie, let's go sit in the waiting room." Alan gently led his son from the ER and into the quiet waiting room. He gently maneuvered Don to one of the chairs.

Don sat down and put his head in his hands. Alan took the chair next to Don and put his arm around his son.

Don whispered, "This is all my fault."

Alan's was startled by Don's statement. "Don, how is this your fault? You aren't to blame for this crazy woman's actions."

Don shook his head. "But it is. If we had caught her sooner, she would have never gone after Elisabeth."

Alan sighed. He was about to say something else when Charlie came running in with Amita behind him.

He said in rapid succession, "What's going on? Megan told me to go to the hospital. She said that Elisabeth had been shot. Dad, are you ok? Are you hurt? Don, where's Elisabeth? Is she ok? Oh, God, wait--is the baby ok?"

Alan was about to tell Charlie to calm down so he could explain when the ER doctor walked in and said, "Mr. Eppes."

All three men without thinking replied, "Yes?"

The doctor momentarily looked confused, "Um, ok, how about Don Eppes?"

Don stood up, "That would be me."

The doctor nodded, "I'm Dr. Ezekial. I want to give you an update on your wife, Elisabeth."

Don was about to say that she wasn't his wife but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. "Yes, how is she? Is the baby going to be ok?"

"Your wife has a gunshot wound that has punctured her womb and she has internal bleeding, maybe a damaged kidney. We are taking her up to the OR. The bullet missed the baby but Elisabeth's womb has been severely compromised. We've called her OB and we're going to deliver the baby by C-section. Then we will be able to repair any other damage that she may have."

Charlie said with distress, "But the baby is not due for at least 12 more days by my calculations. How can you do that?"

Dr. Ezekial looked at Charlie. "I do want to say that most infants born close to 39 weeks' gestation usually have no problems due to their premature birth. The fetal heart rate is good but the baby cannot survive in Elisabeth's body any longer. Our best chance is to the deliver the baby. If we do this than the baby has about 93 percent chance of having no lasting affects from the trauma."

Don replied, "What about Elisabeth? What are her chances?"

Dr Ezekial said, "She's a young healthy female. She has a serious wound and has lost a lot of blood but I think her chances are better than fair. At this point they won't know till they open her up to see how much damage she has sustained. Why don't you and your family go up to the 8th floor, to the maternity ward, and we can keep you posted on the surgery?"

After Dr. Ezekial left Alan touched Don's hand. "Come on son, let's go up and wait there on the 8th floor." Don nodded. He went with everyone up the 8th floor to wait for news on Elisabeth and the baby.

On the maternity floor Amita and Alan sat on one of the couches. Don couldn't sit so he leaned against the wall. Charlie paced back and forth in front of the couch. He was mumbling calculations under his breath.

Don sharply said, "Charlie, can you knock off the pacing and sit down?"

Snapped out of his calculations Charlie looked up. "Sorry Don. I, uh, yeah. Sure." He sat down next to Amita. She gave Charlie a reassuring smile and took his hand.

Don kept looking at his watch. He rubbed his temples and wondered what the hell was taking so long. He was about to go to the nurses' station to ask for an update when a small woman in pink scrubs came out. Don recognized her. It was Dr. Collins, one of the OB/GYNs at the practice Elisabeth went to.

He said, "Dr. Collins?"

"Mr. Eppes. We've delivered the baby. Your daughter is doing well." She gave him a smile and continued talking. "The surgery team is still working on Elisabeth's internal injuries. Would you like to see your daughter?"

Don nodded. "Yes, I'd love that."

"Come on and follow me. You'll have to put on some scrubs."

Dr Collins led Don over to the nursery and let the nurses prep him to see his daughter. She said, "I'll be back in a bit to check on the baby and I'll see if I can get an update on Elisabeth for you."

Don said, "Thank you." He put on the scrubs and followed the nurse into the nursery. She guided him over to where a small baby with a pink hat lay sleeping. He saw some dark hair peeking out of the cap. She was wrapped in a pink blanket and wore a bracelet that identified her as Baby Eppes.

Don touched the baby's cheek. A nurse came by and asked, "Do you want to hold her?"

Don's eyes lit up. "Yes, um. Yes. I can?"

"Sure. Here, sit down here and I'll lay in her your arms." He nodded and sat down in the rocking chair.

The nurse took the baby out and placed her into Don's arm. Don just sat there and stared at her. She was so beautiful and delicate. He felt the pride of fatherhood descend on him and thought he finally understood what his father had felt for him and Charlie. He had never loved anyone besides his parents and Charlie so unconditionally before. It made his heart ache. He said quietly, "Hello, little one."

About fifteen minutes had passed when Don heard, "Excuse me, Mr. Eppes?"

Don looked up from his daughter's face at the nurse who had spoken. "Yes?"

"Elisabeth's out of surgery now."

"Is she ok?"

Dr. Collins came into the room. "The surgeon said that her left kidney was nicked by the bullet but they repaired it. She is going to be very weak for a while because of the blood loss but she should make a full recovery. She was very lucky. Hopefully she'll wake in a couple of hours to see her baby and you."

Don felt his eyes well up with a relief but he quickly blinked the tears back. He thanked the doctor and turned his attention back to his daughter. He whispered, "Did you hear that, kiddo? Mommy is going be all right. See, she wouldn't leave us. Nope. She loves you--" He stopped for a second and added, "And me, too much to leave."

The nurse came back in. "Mr. Eppes. It's time for the baby to go to the nursery for some rest."

Don sighed, "Oh, ok."

She lifted the baby from his arms. She said, "If you want I can wheel her to the viewing window so the rest of your family can see her."

"Yeah, that would be great." Don left the room and went to find his dad and Charlie.

Alan looked up when he saw Don approached, "How's my granddaughter?"

Don was lost for words. He just grinned at his dad. Finally he said, "She's wonderful. The nurse said that they would bring her to the window so that you could see her."

At the window, Alan said, "Any word on Elisabeth?"

Don said, "Yeah, the doctors said that she is going to be ok."

Alan, Charlie, and Amita all nodded with relief.

Alan said, "Good. My granddaughter needs her mother."

After a minute or so the nurse held the baby up for the family to see her. Her pink cap had come off.

Charlie, "Hey look at that. She has hair like me."

Don replied, "Yeah. Well, what are the odds?" Charlie started to open his mouth and reply when Don said, "Wait, never mind. I don't want to know."

Amita grinned. "She is so precious, Don. Have you and Elisabeth decided on a name?"

"Yeah, we do." He turned and looked at his dad and said, "It was Elisabeth's idea. We were going to call her Caroline after her mom but last week she decided that her name should be Margaret Caroline. She said that she wanted to name her Margaret for you because of all the support you have given her these last few months."

Alan grinned with pride and affection. His eyes filled with tears and he said, "Yeah? She said that? Don, you have a good woman."

Don nodded and looked back at the baby and smiled. He whispered, "Yeah, I do."


	25. Chapter 39 & 40

Chapter 39

After convincing his Dad, Charlie and Amita to go home, Don called Megan to see how things were being wrapped up. She told him that forensics showed there had been three shots fired at his place. One broke a hallway lamp, another hit Elisabeth and the third was the one that killed Mary Parker. The scene also revealed there had been a struggle between the two women, culminating in the lethal turn of events.

Megan revealed that when Colby and David went to Mary Parker's house they found photographs of all the other victims and a bottle of Rohypnol. They also found photos of a woman named Dee Uhler who was two days shy of being forty weeks pregnant. Colby and David figured that Dee was Mary's intended forth victim.

Based on the two agents' descriptions of the equipment at Mary Parker's house Megan surmised that Mary's plan was to induce Dee into labor and take the baby. The whole attack on Elisabeth was precipitated when Mary saw the agents asking questions at the lab.

Don told Megan that his dad was going to stop by the house and picked up Elisabeth's suitcase. He hung up the phone and went to find out what room Elisabeth had been assigned. The nurses told him that room 817 was hers and that he was welcome to go in even though she had not awakened as of yet. Don sat in a chair at the side of the bed and lost himself in his own thoughts.

His mind drifted over all that had happened to him in the past year. All he could think of was Elisabeth, but his mind was not able to settle on one thought about her. They all whirled through his brain. Don let the memories from the last year wash over him. He remembered:

_The glint of steal in the unknown woman's eyes when he ordered her to put her hands up so he could cuff her. _

_Her amusement when he told her that she was free to go. _

_The cool way she observed him and his team as they worked on the joint case. _

_The day she came to his apartment looking like a lost puppy. Her telling him she quit because of him, and than flashes of him kissing her in his bed with her eyes full of passion. He remembered how he murmured her name, over and over like salve for her wounds. _

_The crazy twist of fate which brought her back into his life. _

_Charlie giving him a small grin and saying, "I guess Dad was right. It is a woman." _

_He remembered when he realized that he wanted more from their relationship. _

_How she rarely called him by his first name. He knew that is was a defense mechanism on her part. Always keeping him one step away from her. _

_The first time he woke up and she hadn't left him. Her sleeping form curled up next to him. How she looked innocent when she slept. _

_He remembered the words she spoke when she broke up with him and the pain he felt at those words "...we shouldn't see each other anymore. I don't think it's working out." _

_His memory flashed forward to when she told him that she was pregnant and she would put the baby up for adoption. _

_The night they both decided that they would keep the baby and raise him or her together. _

_The inscription that professed her love for him in the book she gave him at Christmas. _

_The joy he felt when Elisabeth pressed his hand to her belly so he could feel the baby kick. _

An hour or so had passed when he noticed Elisabeth stirring. Her eyes slowly opened in confusion and pain. "What's going on?" Her hand immediately went to her abdomen. She yelped in pain when she moved quickly to sit up. She cried out as she tried to get out of the bed, "My baby? Where's my baby?" He quickly went to her side to try to calm her. "Shh, Elisabeth, calm down. It's alright."

"Don? Oh my god, Don, where's the baby?"

"Elisabeth, please just listen. The baby's all right. She's fine and in the nursery. They had to deliver her because of your injuries."

Don saw realization awaken in her eyes. She pulled up the side of her hospital gown to look at the area where she had been shot. Her fingers traced the dressings. She shook her head as if to shake off a nightmare.

She grabbed his hand and spoke, "Don. That woman? What happen to her?"

"She's dead, Elisabeth."

He watched her eyes fill with rage. She spoke with frightening force, "Good." A split second later Elisabeth's eyes filled with tears as a small sob escaped her lips.

He sat down on the edge on the bed and put his arms around her. He stroked her hair and murmured, "It's okay Elisabeth. Everything is gonna be fine now."

She said between sobs, "I want to see my baby."

Tenderly he said, "Shhh it's okay, calm down. I'll go tell the nurse that you're awake."

She grabbed his hand as he started to stand up. "No, please don't go."

He squeezed her hand. "Elisabeth, I'm just going to go out in the hallway to the nurses' station. I'll be back in a sec."

He got up from the bed and stepped outside. When he returned he sat on the edge of the bed with Elisabeth until a nurse arrived.

A petite blond woman stepped in. "Hi, I'm Helen, one of the staff nurses here. I'm going to take your vitals while Louise goes down to the nursery to bring your daughter."

After taking her vitals the nurse told Don and Elisabeth that the doctor would be in later to go over her prognosis with them. She left the room as the other nurse came in with the baby. "Hi, I'm Louise." She picked the sleeping baby up and placed her in Elisabeth's awaiting arms. She said, "Here's Mommy's girl. I'll be back later to take her back to the nursery, so you can some rest." The nurse left the room to allow them some privacy.

Don watched Elisabeth. She just stared at the baby as if trying to believe that she was really in her arms and not an apparition.

Elisabeth pulled the pink hat off her head. She ran her fingers through the mass of wild dark hair that was atop the baby's head and slowly pulled the blanket off of her. She examined her toes and her fingers. She said quietly, "Her fingers are so long."

Don smiled and nodded. Elisabeth bent down and kissed the baby on her forehead and nuzzled her close.

Elisabeth stopped staring at the baby and looked at Don. She whispered, "We created her. She's absolutely perfect."

"She is." Don smiled at Elisabeth as he touched the baby's cheek. He kissed the baby on her little forehead and gave Elisabeth a tender kiss on her lips.

"Hi, Margaret Caroline. I'm your mommy." She held her up in Don's direction. "And this is your daddy."

Don smiled at the baby and in a sweet voice said, "Hi, sweetheart. Mommy and me love you so much."

He looked over at Elisabeth, who was blinking back tears. She breathed, "She's so..."

Don finished her sentence by saying, "Beautiful?"

"Mmm, yes. She is."

"Just like her mommy."

A small smile tugged at her lips as she gazed at the baby. "Maybe. Let's hope she only inherited my looks and not my temper."

Don laughed. "I have to agree." He put one of his arms around Elisabeth and the one to help hold the baby. "I hope she doesn't have either of our tempers." He paused and kissed his daughter's fingers. "She really is beautiful."

With a sly smile she said, "Uh huh. Well, you better get started."

Don looked puzzled. He said, "Get what started?"

A small smile formed on Elisabeth's lips. "Building the tower. The tower you're gonna have to lock her in when she turns sixteen to keep all the boys away."

"Tower?" He grunted. "Maybe more like a fortress with well-armed guards. Oh, yeah, and a moat with sharks in it. Better yet add on some feral attack dogs and lions."

Elisabeth smiled. "Ok, papa, calm down. You have some time." She squeezed his hand. "I love you, Don. I really love you."

"Definitely a moat and killer sharks, with laser beams on their heads, huh?" He stopped talking and grinned back at her. "I love you too," he added. "My little ghost."

Chapter 40

Elisabeth needed to talk to Don. There was no question about it. She had to convince him that she did love him and that anything that happened before him was in the past. She had to let him know she wasn't what she used to be. She was different She thought he knew that. Everything she did over the last year was for him. Why didn't he see that? Things were great since the birth of Maggie. Don had taken two weeks off to stay home to help care for Maggie; doting over her with such love and devotion that Elisabeth felt her own love for Don grow. He even finally asked her to marry him.

After those two blissful weeks their usual riffs started to open up. Their bickering intensified. Elisabeth felt that Don was not spending enough time with her and the baby. To make matters worse she knew that Don was working closely with Robin and Elisabeth's jealousy threatened to spill over, making Don retreat back to the office. He told her at one point that she was being silly and she shouldn't be jealous over Robin and his working relationship.

How could he be so blind to that woman? Elisabeth knew in her heart that Robin wanted Don back. Elisabeth knew that if they didn't work things out between them their relationship would be over. A little over eight weeks after Maggie was born, Elisabeth decided to swallow her pride and try mending things between them. She bought a new piece of lingerie, cooked his favorite dish and got Maggie to go to bed early. She was in the middle of lighting candles when Don called and said he would be home late that night and not to wait up for him. Elisabeth felt like a deflated balloon and instead of trying again she wrapped herself up in the care of their daughter.

From there things got worse. A month later, Don found out about Billy Cooper. Don accused her, "Another secret you kept from me." She tried to explain that it wasn't a secret. She had just recently realized that he and Billy were old partners. She asked him, "Why is it such a big deal? It was four years ago."

_Elisabeth had gone to the grocery story while Don stayed at home with Maggie. She came in the front door and heard another man's voice along with Don's._

_Don called from the living room. "Elisabeth, come on in here and meet my old partner."_

_She smiled as she put the groceries on the counter and started into the room. She heard the other voice say, "Yeah, I'd like to meet the woman who's domesticated my old partner."_

_She said, "Well, it's always a pleasure to meet a friend of--"_

_As she walked in to the room she heard the voice yell, "You!"_

_Elisabeth watched Coop draw his weapon and point it at her. At the same time Elisabeth grabbed Don's gun from the coffee table. They both circled each other as if stalking prey._

_Don, alarmed, said, "Coop, what the hell do you think you're doing? Elisabeth, put the gun down!"_

_Coop snarled, "So it's Elisabeth now. How cute!"_

_Elisabeth's eyes flared with anger._

_Coop yelled back, "I told you if I ever saw you again I'd kill you."_

_"Yeah, not if I shoot you first."_

_Don tried to insinuate himself between the jackal and the tiger. "What the hell are you two doing? Elisabeth, put the weapon down."_

_Elisabeth said, "Only if he puts his down first."_

_"Like hell. She'll probably shoot me in the back!"_

_Don put his hand on Elisabeth's shoulder and said, "You're not going to shoot him. Tell him you're not." Her eyes flicked towards Don. "Give me the gun, Elisabeth." After a moment or two she handed the weapon to Don._

_"Coop. Now it's your turn."_

_He muttered, "Fine," and holstered his weapon._

_Don looked between the two of them and said, "Which one of you is gonna tell me what the hell is going on?"_

_Coop growled, "Go on Elisabeth, if that's your real name. Why don't you tell Don?"_

_Even though she didn't have a weapon in her hands, Elisabeth look like she still might attack Coop. "He's mad because my old team and I intercepted one of his fugitives."_

_Coop replied, "Oh, is that how you remember it?" He turned his attention to Don and said, "Don, listen to me, man. You don't know anything about this woman. You don't know what she's capable of."_

_A small grin appeared on Elisabeth's face. "Oh, Coop here, he knows. He knows all too well. But why don't you tell the truth. Tell Don the reason you're so pissed is that you can't stand the fact that I'm not with you." She said with contempt, "Go on, Coop. Tell your friend that you're still in love with me. It's sweet. I still get your love letters at my old post box."_

_She heard Don's sharp intake of breath and saw the look between the two of them._

_Elisabeth heard the baby start to fuss. Without a second glance she said, "My daughter needs me." She stalked upstairs and went to check on Maggie._

_Later on that Don came into the bedroom and confronted her with what Coop had told him._

_"You slept with him."_

_She put her hands on her hips and replied, "So? What of it? That was four years ago."_

_"You slept with him to keep him occupied while the rest of your team picked up his fugitive." He looked at her and said, "You knew that he had feelings for you and you did that to him."_

_She sat on the side of the bed. Her voice tinged with regret, she said, "Yeah. I did."_

_"Was it your idea?"_

_She looked at the floor. "No. It was the Director's." Trying to justify her actions, she said, "We needed the suspect more then he did."_

_"So is this something you did a lot?"_

_Elisabeth felt her heart leap into her chest. "Excuse me? What are you implying?"_

_He cut her off by saying, "I'm not implying anything."_

_She said with quiet rage, "No. Of course not."_

_"I can't believe that you would use someone like that, especially knowing how they felt about you."_

_"Don, listen to me. I did things that I'm really not proud of, but that is all in the past."_

_She got up and tried to touch his arm but he pulled away._

_Realization gripped Elisabeth. She moved around so she was standing in front of Don. "You're not mad that I hurt your friend's feelings. You're mad because I slept with someone else." She snorted. "You can't stand the idea I've been with some one else. You're jealous."_

_Without saying another word he left the bedroom and went to stay at Charlie's._

That incident was two weeks ago. The two of them only spoke when they needed to.

But tonight, Elisabeth went to the FBI building to try to talk to Don but instead of him being there she found Colby.

Elisabeth asked, "Colby? What are you still doing here?"

Wearily, Colby looked up. "Hey, Elisabeth. Just needed to get caught up on paperwork. My date with Julie in accounting got canceled. She has the flu so I thought I would get myself ahead on paperwork. What are you doing here?"

'I'm looking for Don. He didn't pick up his cell and I need to talk to him."

"Sorry, he ain't here."

Dismayed, she said, "Oh."

"I think he left maybe an hour ago. He was giving Robin Brooks a ride home."

Elisabeth spun around and said, "Did you say Robin? Damn!"

"Yeah, her car is at the shop….." Before Colby could finish his sentence Elisabeth took off.

She ran to her car. She knew where Robin lived. She kept saying over and over again, "Please don't still be there. Please don't still be there." She prayed that he was over at Charlie's and that she wouldn't find his car in front of Robin's house. She knew things were bad between them but she didn't think that they were bad enough that Don would be driven into the arms of another woman.

She arrived at Robin Brooks' house and saw Don's SUV in the driveway. She felt like she was going to throw up. She put her head down on the steering wheel and wept. "No, no, no. Oh god. Why!" She sobbed in the car for over ten minutes. After she couldn't shed another tear Elisabeth sat in the car feeling numb. She wanted to rush up to the door and kick the crap out of Robin. How dare she do this? How dare he?

Should she fight for him?

She thought, No, what would be the point, since he had so clearly decided that he didn't want Elisabeth anymore. He wanted Robin.

She couldn't believe that he chose Robin over her. Was his profession of love for her all lies? She felt the pain of his betrayal change from sadness to pure anger. She started up the car engine and started to drive over to Charlie's to pick up the baby. Sitting at the red light she decided that she wanted to hurt him back as much as he had hurt her. The best way she knew how would be to take his daughter from him


	26. Chapter 41 & 42

Chapter 41

Over the last few weeks things had really fallen apart for Don and Elisabeth. Don was at his wit's end with the whole situation. He still couldn't believe that she knew Coop and never said anything. True, her affair with him was years before they met and was long over but just the idea of the whole thing made his blood boil. Maybe he was jealous like she had so callously put it, but she had no right to keep this from him. He had been so frustrated over the last weeks that he was glad when Robin told him he could always talk to her. He didn't really like to talk about his problems but he felt that at this point he really needed to.

Don and Robin were eating sandwiches in the break room and going over his testimony for the Monroe trial when Robin asked if he was ok.

Don sighed and rubbed his jaw, "Everything's fine."

"Oh, come on, Don. Something's wrong," she said with a wide smile. "You know, I've been told I'm a good listener."

"Yeah, I know, Robin. It's kind of personal."

"Well, we're friends so you know you can talk to me. If you don't want to you don't have to but maybe it would help clear your head." She squeezed his hand and then went back to eating her sandwich.

They sat in silence for a while. Without thinking, Don spoke. "It's Elisabeth. I just don't know what to do."

"What happened?"

"I found out something that she yet again didn't tell me about and I just can't stop thinking about it."

Robin sat in silenced and waited for him to continue.

"I thought she had changed."

Robin finally said, "Well, I hate to play devil's advocate but it has been my experience that people rarely change."

Don said nothing to her comment and she continued. "I don't want to be right Don but..." She paused for dramatic effect. "I heard you two decided to tie the knot."

"Yeah."

"I am really sorry she's hurt you so bad. Maybe you two shouldn't be together if it causes you this much heartache."

"I don't know, Robin. I really don't know." He looked at his watch. "It's late. I should try to get home soon so I can at least see Maggie before Elisabeth puts her to bed."

"Um, ok. Hey, do you think you can give me a ride? My car is in the shop."

"Yeah, sure, not a problem."

--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---

They arrived at the front of Robin's home. She said, "You want to come in for coffee or something?"

"Nah, I should just go on home."

"Don, you look like you're about to fall over. Come in and have a cup of coffee so you won't fall asleep at the wheel."

"Yeah, alright."

Once in the house Robin puttered around the kitchen for a few minutes. She and Don continued to talk about their case as she poured coffee for them both. Don cracked his neck and groaned.

Robin said, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just my neck is stiff. It's been a long day."

'You want me to rub it?"

"Uh, no, but thanks."

They talked about a few more details about the case until Don took one last sip of his coffee. "Thanks for the coffee but I gotta go."

Robin said, "Oh, ok. Let me walk you to the door."

At the door, as Don gave Robin a hug good-bye, she leaned in and kissed him, rubbing her body seductively against his.

Don, surprised by Robin's actions, stood there while she trailed her lips down his neck. She let out a moaned and said, "I'll never hurt you Don. Not like she has." That's when it hit him and everything came crashing around him. He heard his conscience screaming at him that that this was wrong and that he loved Elisabeth.

He pulled away from Robin. "Robin, I can't do this with you. It's not right."

Frustrated, Robin replied, "Don, you and I both know that she's had done nothing but cause you pain since you've been together. She's not good enough for you."

Realization crept into his mind about why Elisabeth was not happy that he was friendly with Robin. He said, "No, Robin. You're wrong. She has never intentionally hurt me. I let my own jealousy cloud my judgment. I'm not saying she's perfect but I owe her more then this." He backed away from her and headed towards the front door. "Robin, I think we shouldn't work together if possible but if we do I will give you the respect you deserve but we're not friends anymore."

He left her house just missing Elisabeth by five minutes. Don drove to his house and knew that he had to at least try to get over this. He felt he owed it to Elisabeth to try to talk to her. He knew that she only loved him. She was right--everything they had done in the past had to stay in the past. She had admitted to him over the last few months that she really hated what she had become when she was working covertly for the NSA. He never questioned what those things were because he knew that she already berated herself enough over them. He just had to get home to try to set things right, and to tell her that he loved her and that they would get through this, that he knew she wasn't holding back on him. He would admit that he was jealous but he couldn't help himself. She and Maggie were his and no one else's.

Chapter 42

Elle sat on the floor and watched her daughter. She was fast asleep in the extra crib they kept at Charlie's. She watched the rise and fall of her little chest and how peaceful she looked. She was really a good baby. She hardly fussed. The other mothers in the weekly group meeting she attended with Maggie were always saying what a good baby Maggie was. She thought of her earlier conversation with Alan.

_Alan said, "You and Don not getting along again?"_

_Elle sighed, "Yeah. How'd you guess?" _

_"Well, aside from you being unusually quiet I've learned to read your face, Elisabeth. Anyway, it's very common for problems to crop up in a relationship after the birth of a child. My Margaret and I went through some difficulties when we first brought Don home." _

_Elle thought to herself, "Well, I am sure the difficulties weren't from one of you cheating on the other one." Alan had paused in talking. He was watching Elisabeth intently. She looked at Alan and said, "I'm sorry Alan. Go on, you were saying?" _

_Alan continued. "Part of it was that Margaret felt like she was alone in taking care of Donnie and the other part was that I couldn't understand what she was going through. We had some really horrible arguments, but in the end we talked things out and we listened to where the other one was coming from." _

_"It seems no matter what I do he… he... aw hell. I just can't get him to listen to me. Now I'm afraid that things are beyond repair." _

_Alan put his hand on her shoulder and replied, "Elisabeth, nothing is beyond repair. You and Don both owe it to your daughter and yourselves to try to work through whatever you're going through. It's only fair. If you don't then you'll only have regrets." He squeezed her shoulder. "If it will help, you can leave the baby here for the night so you can talk without worrying over her." He started to leave the room and turned back to say one last thing, "Elisabeth, if you really love my son like I know you do then you'll go to him and talk this out."_

Elle sat there for a few minutes and thought about what Alan said. Feeling confidant that it would make no difference, she decided that still, for Maggie, she would try to talk to Don. That way her conscience would be clear when she told an older, fatherless Maggie that she'd tried.

Don walked into the front door of the house. All the lights were off. He quietly maneuvered into the kitchen to get a drink. He almost grabbed a beer but settled on water. He decided that he needed to keep his head clear. He silently walked into the living room.

He heard a voice out of the darkness speak. "Was it worth it?"

Switching on a light he said, "Elisabeth, why are you sitting here in the dark?"

She sat there motionless. Her hands were clasped on her lap. The expression she wore was the same icy one that she'd had when he interrogated her back at their first meeting so many months before. The woman who sat before him was not his Elisabeth but his nemesis, the operative Elle.

"Colby told me you drove Robin home. I drove by her house and your car was parked out front." Elle stood up from the couch and put herself inches from him. He could feel her warm breath on his face. "Did you enjoy having sex with that woman?" Before Don could answer she said, "I hope it was worth it."

Don inhaled sharply. He tried to touch her arm but she pulled back out of his reach. She hissed, "Don't touch me."

Don sighed and spread his hands out in front of him. "Elisabeth, listen to me. I didn't sleep with Robin."

She said with anger," You didn't really? Well, you were in her house for a while weren't you?"

Don, trying to keep his voice calm, replied, "She offered me some coffee so I wouldn't fall asleep on the way home."

Elle muttered loud enough for him to hear, "I'm sure that's not all she offered you."

"What?"

She glared at Don, "You heard me."

He started towards her. "Elle, do you really think that I would sleep with someone else while I'm with you?"

She turned her back on him. "I really don't know, Fed. Would you?"

"God no, I have more integrity than that. I thought you knew that."

She paused. "I did." She touched his collar and ear. When she pulled her hand away, there was lipstick on her finger. "But how can I now, when the evidence shows me otherwise. I also can smell her perfume. It's Coco Chanel and that's not what I wear."

No, he thought, she always smells like lilies and gardenias and lately like baby powder mixed in.

He ran his hands through his hair and said, "The truth is I didn't sleep with her but I let things go a little too far. I allowed her to kiss me and for that I'm sorry. I told her that we could no longer be friends."

"So that's it. I'm supposed to just forgive you. You allowed her to manipulate you and I'm suppose to just forget it all." Her voice increased an octave. "You also let your jealousy over my past affair with Coop get in the way of listening to me."

He felt his own anger start to boil. "So I was the only one who was acting jealous. You've been on my case for months now about Robin..."

She cut him off, "Well, I was right. Wasn't I?"

He was about to reply when he noticed two suitcases packed by the stairs. Realization hit him. She was going to leave him. His eyes turned hard and he grabbed her wrist. "You're going to leave me and take my daughter away from me, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"How could you even think of doing that? What are you trying to do, hurt me?"

She simply replied, "Yes. Yes, that is all I want to do. I want you to feel the pain and sense of betrayal I feel."

He shook his head at her. "So why are you still here? You could have left before I got home."

"I'm here because your dad asked me to try to work things out with you for Maggie's sake."

"Wait--where is Maggie?" He gripped her wrist tighter.

"She's at your dad's for the night. He told me he would watch her so we could talk."

"But you have no intention of talking, do you, Elisabeth?"

She shrugged. "No. I don't."

He grunted, "So that's it. You walk out the door. Run away when things get tough. So you give up on us without trying to fight?"

"Is that what you want, me and Robin to get into some cat fight over you? Well, first of all it wouldn't be much of a fight cause I would take her down so fast. Second of all, what would be the point? You made your choice already. What chance do I have? You want her, not me."

Comprehension dawned. "You really think that I would choose her over you? That she's who I want? Is that what you think?" He laughed in spite of himself. He said gently, "Oh, Elisabeth no, I don't want her. I only want you. I am so sorry that I let things get this bad. That I let you think that I had any type of feelings for her other then friendship. I don't love her. I love you. I've been trying to tell you this for months!"

She crossed her arms in front of her. "I'm sorry, Don, but is love enough? You obviously don't trust me and now, how can I trust you?"

Don sank down on the couch. He put his face in his hands. He didn't know what to say now. He really thought that if he just told her he loved her it would all be ok. He watched her sit on the other side of the couch. He was angry with himself for letting things get this bad. He finally found the woman that he would risk anything for and despite his best efforts it was falling apart. He watched Elle rub her knuckles over her lower lip, it was a habit he's seen her do many times over the last year, usually when she was thinking. He decided that he would try one last thing to reach her. He said, "Elisabeth, I do trust you. Sometimes it's hard to, but I do. You're right--I let myself get jealous over Coop. I still think what you did to him was wrong but that is between you and him. Elisabeth, if you really don't love me and don't want to stay, I won't keep you."

They both sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. He continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that she was unconsciously fiddling with her engagement ring. She kept twisting it back and forth as if she were deciding whether to leave it on or take it off. The significance of her playing with the ring was not lost on Don.

"Elisabeth?"

"Huh?" Snapped out of her thoughts, "What?"

He sighed. "You should stay here. I'll go pack my things. The house is yours, anyway, since you technically paid for it. I'm gonna go to Charlie's. I guess I'll call you in a few days to make some arrangements for when I can see Maggie." Don headed upstairs to get some of his things together with a heavy heart.

--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------

Elle watched Don go upstairs. She felt her stomach turn over. She thought was she just going to let him go. He said he didn't want Robin. It was her he wanted. She looked down at her rings. On her right middle finger she wore her family's crest. It was one of the few things that she kept that had belonged to her father. On her left hand was the engagement ring that Don had given her at Christmas. The diamond glittered in the lamp light while the garnets flashed deep like dark blood. She looked again at her father's ring and thought about what it meant to her. It meant family to her and how much she loved them. She missed her parents so much sometimes. The pain that she felt at losing both of her parents bubbled up in her throat, making it constrict. She blinked back tears. Her gaze went back to the engagement ring representing her new family. It not only embodied Don's love for her but her relationship with Alan and Charlie. She smiled at the few times Alan had said that she was the daughter he had always wanted and Charlie would chime in that it was nice to have a sister to gang up on Don with. The two of them had welcomed her with open arms, especially Alan who was such a rock for her. He helped her so much when she was pregnant and with learning how to be a good parent to Maggie, always telling her that he was so happy that she loved his son so much. Always thanking her for his granddaughter. She felt new hot tears sear down her face at the idea of losing her second family. She sat alone for a long time and thought about everything over the last year. She remembered:

_Her fist connecting with the FBI agent at the warehouse and how angry he was when he cuffed her and how she had walked out of the conference room laughing at the look of sheer frustration on that same agent's face._

_How well she and Mario worked with Eppes and Granger. How the four of them had tracked down two of their suspects and how Eppes had had her back that day. _

_She remembered enjoying the banter between Don and Charlie. Silently laughing as Charlie tried to explain something and Don would tell him to dumb it down a bit for him and everyone else. _

_How he showed her compassion and empathy the night she went to his place when she quit. How with one quick move he wrapped his arms around her and she felt safe, the way he murmured her name over and over while they were in his bed. _

_The look of amusement on his face when he found out she was a pastry chef. _

_How she knew that she lied when she told him no strings attached. She was already attached more than she could help. _

_How she felt the first time he called her his girlfriend, and the first night she didn't slip out while he slept, the concern on Don's face that he showed her after she thwarted the attempted abduction of Alan and Charlie. _

_All the times he dropped everything and came when she called. After being attacked by the director at her apartment and when she had almost lost the baby back in the fall. _

_How they argued over the name for the baby. How he teased her, saying he wanted to name the baby Don. _

_How he would make love to her full of tenderness and tell her she was the most beautiful woman even at six months pregnant. _

_How he would put his lips to her belly to talk to the baby. Telling mother and child how much he loved them both._

_The look of pain on his face when he found her in a pool of her own blood after Mary Parker attacked her. How he touched her neck to check for a pulse. His whispered words, "Oh please, please don't be ..." How he told her it would be ok. She had to be ok. _

Realization hit her hard. It was that look of pain that he wore on his face tonight. That look cut right through her walls and to the pit of her heart and soul. A small sob escaped Elisabeth's lips. He wasn't the only one to blame for this mess--she was too. She had caused him so much pain. How could she do such a thing? What kind of monster was she? His words from earlier finally penetrated her mind.

_"Oh, Elisabeth, no, I don't want her. I only want you. I am so sorry that I let things get this bad. That I let you think that I had any type of feelings for her other then friendship. I don't love her. I love you. I've been trying to tell you this for months!"_

She swallowed her pride and knew what she had to do. She would beg for his forgiveness and hope that he hadn't changed his mind.

She ran up the stairs taking two at a time and dashed into their bedroom. He looked up at her as he was zipping up an overnight bag. He gave her a puzzled look. "Elisabeth?"

She opened her mouth to speak but she didn't know what to say to him. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Please, Don. I don't want you to go. I love you so much that it hurts. I am so sorry for everything. You're not the only one who needs to take the blame for how bad things got. Please don't leave me." Her voice choked as she said, "I need you too much. Please, oh please don't leave me."

In a heartbeat Don crossed the room and put his arms around Elisabeth. She cried so hard her body trembled. He held her tight and whispered, "It's ok. We'll work through it. It will be all right now. I'm not going anywhere."

She said in a small voice, "You sure?"

He stroked her hair and said, "Yes."

"Do you really love me?"

"Yes, I do. Do you love me?

She met his eyes and said, "Yes. Let me show you." She leaned in and kissed him.

Hours later they lay in each other's arms, to tired to talk after their lovemaking, contenting themselves with just being together again


	27. Chapter 43 & 44

Chapter 43

Elisabeth stood in front of the mirror wearing a plum silk robe while she combed out her wet hair. Don stepped behind her and kissed her behind the ear, then wrapped his arms around her. He wore only jeans and his hair was still damp from the shower. "I just got off the phone with my dad. I told him we'd be over in an hour to pick up Maggie. He wanted to know if we wanted to have lunch with him. I told him that was fine."

She leaned back against him. "Yeah, sure, sounds good, but I don't think we'll make it an hour. Not enough time."

"Not enough time?" Don asked as he nuzzled her neck.

She slowly turned around to face him and ran her hands over his naked torso. "Definitely not enough time."

Don laughed. "Gods, woman, you're insatiable."

She pushed him onto their bed and straddled his thighs. "For you I'm never satiated."

"Really? Show me."

Alan saw his son and Elisabeth pull into the driveway. He stepped onto the porch with Maggie in his arms and said, "I thought you two were coming over an hour ago?"

Don replied, "Uh, sorry dad." He put out his arms to take his daughter. Maggie smiled and started gurgling with delight. "Ah, there's my special girl." He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Elisabeth smiled at Alan. "It's my fault. There were a few things that I had to do around the house before we left."

"Yeah, dad, we just got a little sidetracked with the time."

Alan raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is that what they're calling these days?" Alan let out a chuckle at the look of embarrassment on their faces as they stepped into the house towards the living room. Don sat on the couch and started to play with the baby. She giggled when he blew raspberries on her belly.

Elisabeth asked, "Was Maggie ok for you last night?"

"Oh yes. She was fine. She slept all night and didn't make a peep till way after 7am."

"My, my, Pop, you are lucky. She loves to scream bloody murder at around 6:15 AM."

Alan smiled, "It could be worse. Don, when he was her age, would only sleep for maybe three hours at a time. It wasn't till he was close to a year old that he slept through the night. He was very trying that first year."

Elisabeth replied, "And still is."

Don looked up from playing with Maggie and said, "Look who is calling the kettle black."

Elisabeth grinned in reply.

"We'll have lunch soon, just waiting for your brother to come back. He ran back to his office to grab an article or something."

Elisabeth said to Alan, "Do you need any help with lunch?"

"No, my dear. Oh, actually I was waiting for you two to get here so I could run to the market. I ran out of tomatoes for the sandwiches."

She smiled, "Oh, I'll go for you."

"Yeah. You don't mind?"

"No not at all. I'll even swing by Conti's to bring home one of their peach pies."

"Oh, yeah? Sounds like a plan."

Elisabeth smiled, "Alan, are there any bottles left?"

"Just one."

Elisabeth stood and turned towards Don. "Can you give her the last bottle while I am out? I'll feed her again myself when I get back."

"No prob." He kissed Maggie on the head. "You hungry, Magpie?"

With one last smile Elisabeth said, "Be back in a jiff."

Alan said, "Come in the kitchen with me. I'll heat the bottle for you and we can talk while I finish with lunch."

Don followed his father into the kitchen. Alan handed the heated bottle to Don. After checking the temperature of the milk Don sat down in one of the kitchen chairs to feed Maggie. Alan watched as he started to get the rest of lunch together. He smiled at how comfortable Don was with his daughter. He thought that Margaret would have loved to see this. Alan felt his eyes become a little moist. Turning his head so Don would not see his eyes misting over, he considered for a moment that Margaret did see what was going on, she was smiling at them all.

Alan cleared his throat. "I remember feeding you when you were that age."

Don looked up and smiled at his dad. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, you would get so mad because I couldn't feed you fast enough. You would put out your hands and smack them against the bottle."

Don started to laugh. "Maggie does that too."

Alan asked carefully, "So how are you two? I mean, I don't want to pry, but I'm just concerned."

Don kept his eyes on Maggie but after a moment he replied, "I know dad. We're, uh..." He sighed, "We're doing ok."

Alan patted Don on the shoulder. "It's a hard road but it will get better."

"Yeah, I know." He shifted Maggie a bit in his arm.

"Is it ok if I ask if you still plan to get married in November?"

"Yeah, I--uh, I mean we both still want to, if you and Charlie still want to have it here?"

Alan's face lit up. "Of course. I do. I even bought these two books on wedding planning."

Don, amused, replied, "Yeah? You sure you were a city planner all those years?"

Alan grinned. "I did have fun helping Val plan hers."

"Sounds great," Don continued. "When Elisabeth comes back we can talk about it."

"Yeah, I've some great ideas." Alan paused. "Wait, I'm really sorry. It's your wedding. I shouldn't get ahead of myself."

Don laughed. "Dad, don't worry. I know for a fact that Elisabeth is happy you want to help and is looking forward to your suggestions. I think the only thing she would ask is for it to stay low-key."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. Elegant and low-key. So do you two like potted kumquats or flowers?"

Elisabeth stopped at the market and picked up two red tomatoes. Afterwards, she ran into Conti's, said hello to all the girls, and promised she would stop in with the baby later in the week. While there she picked up a peach pie and a mini lemon meringue pie for Charlie. She had one more stop that she had to make.

She parked her car and walked up to the door. She banged harshly on the door till its occupant answered.

Robin opened the door and her eyes widened with surprise. She tried to close the door quickly but Elisabeth stuck out her foot to stop it. Robin backed up into her house and said with fear, "Get off my property."

Elisabeth took a step towards her and said, "Just so we're clear. I know what you tried to do last night and if you ever pull a stunt like that again let's just say there will be regrets."

Robin's eyes narrowed at Elisabeth. She said, "What, are you threatening me?"

Elisabeth gave her an evil smile. "No, I would never do such a thing, Counselor. I'm just stating a fact."

Robin said, "Well, you don't have to worry. He's all yours. I don't want him anymore."

Elisabeth barked a bitter laugh. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"Believe what you want."

Elisabeth shrugged. "Do whatever you have to, but stay away from Don. Pull whatever strings you can so you don't even have him working on your cases."

Robin just glared at her.

"Maybe you should go back to DC?" Elisabeth laughed as she started to walk away. She stopped and said, "Oh, and one more thing, Counselor. There is nothing sweeter to hear from Don's lips when we make love than my name. Especially last night, just thought you'd like to know." With that, Elisabeth left Robin's house and never looked back.

Chapter 44

The air at the Eppes' family house could be cut with a knife.

"Don, would you stop looking at your watch, you're making me crazy," Charlie barked.

"Yeah, well, you keep tapping your foot," Don growled back.

Alan mused to nobody in particular. "I keep hoping that 5:30 will come and go and your Aunts will forget to come over."

"No hope for that, Dad," Don replied. He put his head back on the chair and closed his eyes.

Elisabeth came into the room and asked, "Can I get you guys anything?"

"Yeah. A sharp knife," Charlie muttered.

She raised an eyebrow as she perched on the arm of the couch. "Are they really that bad? Come on, they're two elderly ladies."

"You have no idea. Aunt Irene made me dance with her again at her birthday party and then Aunt Ida cornered me and pinched my cheeks till they were so sore I couldn't smile for three days," Charlie said.

"Yeah," Don added. "They are pretty bad. I have a feeling this is not going to be a pleasant experience. Oh, and Elisabeth, you'll need to keep you temper in check."

"What do you mean me?"

"I'm just saying. You need to watch it, that's all."

She was about to reply when the doorbell rang. All three men's eyes went wild like caged animals.

"We can still slip out the back," Charlie squeaked.

"No, boys, we have to face this sooner or later," Alan said. "Hopefully they'll be too enamored of Maggie to pay us much attention. I hope she wakes up from her nap soon." Looking resigned to his fate, Alan got up to answer the door.

'I'll go get the tray of snacks," Elisabeth said.

A moment or so later Alan came into the living room followed by two elderly women.

Charlie and Don both gave their Aunts a kiss on the cheek and welcomed them.

"So where is this Elisabeth that I've heard so little about," Aunt Irene snarked.

Elisabeth came in carrying a tray with snacks on it. She said in her sweetest tone, "I'm right here. Alan and I made some snacks to munch on till dinner is ready, Aunt Irene, Aunt Ida. Is it ok that I call you that or would you prefer something else?"

"That is fine," Aunt Ida coolly replied.

Elisabeth watched as both women eyed her up and down. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, club soda with lemon for me," Aunt Irene replied.

"Lemonade if you have it," Aunt Ida replied.

Alan stood up. "Let me get those drinks for you, ladies. Boys, Elisabeth, would you like something?"

"Nothing for me Alan," Elisabeth answered.

"Uh, I'll help you, dad," Charlie piped up. "I'll bring you some lemonade, Don."

Charlie scampered off as fast as he could after his father with Don giving him a murderous look. Resigning himself to his fate, he spoke. "So Aunt Irene, Aunt Ida, have you been well since I saw you last?"

"Yes, Donnie. We've been well."

Don felt his two Aunts watching him like a lab rat.

Elisabeth stood up and said, "I think Maggie's awake. Let me go get her so you two can meet her." She left the room and went upstairs.

Aunt Irene looked at Don and said, "Elisabeth seems like a lovely woman."

"She is," he agreed.

Aunt Ida added, "And very beautiful."

Alan came in with Charlie following him. "Here are your drinks, ladies."

"We were just telling Donnie that we think Elisabeth is a lovely girl," Aunt Ida said.

Alan smiled. "Yes, she is."

"It would explain why your son couldn't keep his hands to himself and got the girl pregnant out of wedlock," Aunt Ida said.

Charlie who was taking a sip of his drink spit it out and started a coughing fit.

Don's jaw dropped at her comment.

Alan began to say heatedly, "Well, I don't think that…"

Elisabeth appeared with Maggie in her arms. "Here she is. Ms. Sleepy Head. She's a bit of a grump when she first wakes up but she'll warm up quickly to you."

Immediately both women's eyes softened when they saw Maggie. Aunt Ida clasped her hands together and exclaimed, "Oh what a little doll baby."

"Oh, yes, she reminds me a bit of Don when he was a baby," Aunt Irene said.

"She's absolutely precious," murmured Aunt Irene.

Elisabeth kissed Maggie on the forehead as the baby started to fuss. "Let me feed her, she's usually all smiles after she eats."

After about 15 minutes Aunt Ida came into the kitchen. She gave Elisabeth a small smile as she watched her feed some cereal to the four-and-half-month-old. She took a seat next to Elisabeth.

Aunt Ida cleared her throat. "You seem to take to motherhood well."

Elisabeth watched the older woman carefully out of the corner of her eye. "Well, not at first, but Alan showed me the ropes. He taught me a lot."

"Hmm really?" Ida muttered. "I guess Irene and I will have to reevaluate our opinion of him." She continued. "How are your wedding plans coming along, Elisabeth? What is it--six weeks away?"

"Umm, they're coming. Alan and I have gotten a lot done in such a short time. I just have to go and find a dress."

"Oh, yes, the dress. You don't plan to wear white, do you, dear?"

"Excuse me?" Elisabeth sputtered.

"Never mind, dear. Alan told me you're a pastry chef and that is where you met my nephew."

"Yes, I work over at Conti's. I've been back to work a little over a month ago but I only work two days a week."

The other woman pursed her lips together and said, "Well that's good. A mother should be home with her child." Elisabeth fed another spoonful of cereal to Maggie as Ida asked, "Are you still breastfeeding? I've been doing some reading and they say that a woman should try to continue breastfeeding for at least six months if not a full year."

"Uh--yeah, for as long as I can."

Ida pursed her lips together before she said, "It was shock for myself and Irene to get a call that our nephew had fathered a child and he hadn't got married as far as we knew. Didn't your mother tell you that nice girls don't give the milk away for free and how to prevent unplanned pregnancies?"

Again Elisabeth sputtered in disbelief, "Excuse me?"

"Well, accidents really don't happen. Not in this day and age."

Elisabeth looked sharply at the woman and said in the most even tone possible, "Are you implying that I got pregnant on purpose, Aunt Ida?"

"Oh, no, my dear, I was just saying that this is now the modern day." She waved her hand in the air. "At this point it really doesn't matter."

Elisabeth looked like she was about to hit the roof. "For your information, the circumstances of my and Don's sex life is none of your business and neither is the color I choose to wear down the isle on my wedding day."

"Oh, my dear, I certainly…"

Elisabeth cut her off. "Yes, it was a mistake, but my little one here is the best mistake I ever made and I wouldn't trade her for a quadrillion dollars."

Aunt Ida seemed a bit taken aback by the vehemence in Elisabeth's words. "Well, neither would I, my dear. I'm just saying modern women and all." She tried to smooth things by changing the subject. "I gather that your parents do not live close?"

"No, they don't. Both my parents have passed on."

"Oh, my dear, I didn't know. I am sorry to hear that, you poor thing."

Elisabeth watched the older woman squirm a little before saying, "It was some years ago."

"Oh, my dear." Aunt Ida made a tsk-tsk sound and patted her hand in comfort. "That's so sad. Well, if your mother could see you now I am sure she'd be very proud."

At that moment Don came in. "I came to see if you needed any help."

Annoyance tinged Elisabeth's voice. "We're fine, Don."

"Oh, okay."

Aunt Ida stood up. "Yes, we're fine, Donnie. You have a fine woman and a precious daughter." She shook her finger at him. "So you'd better take good care of them or you'll have to deal with your Aunt Irene and me." With that, she left the room.

---

After three long hours the Aunts left and Don and Elisabeth were on their way home.

"Well, that was interesting," Elisabeth said.

Don sighed. "You could say that."

Don carried the sleeping baby inside the house with Elisabeth following behind with their belongings.

"I can't believe some of the things that woman said to me," she whispered, as she followed him up the stairs to the nursery.

"Yeah, well, you should have heard what Aunt Ida said to me when you were upstairs."

"Yeah? Like what?" she said, as she put Maggie's pajamas on her.

"You go first," he replied, also in a whisper.

She grimaced. "Aunt Ida asked me if my mother told me that nice girls don't give the milk away for free, if you get my drift? And than she implied that I got pregnant on purpose to trap you. Oh, wait, there's more. She wanted to know how long I plan to breastfeed Maggie and if I was going to wear white at the wedding. Can you believe that?"

Don bit his lip so he wouldn't burst out laughing at the whole thing. "Yup, that wins, but you should have heard what she said to my dad when you were upstairs."

"Yeah?"

After settling the sleeping infant into her crib they made their way down to their bedroom. Once there they started to change for bed

"That now after seeing you she knows why I couldn't keep my hands to myself and I got you pregnant."

"Those women! Sheesh."

Don teased, "Well, I should have corrected her and told her that it really isn't my fault, you're the one who can't keep her hands to herself."

Elisabeth put her hands on her hips. "Really, now? Well maybe I'll just keep my hands to myself from now on."

He gave her a mischievous grin. "I'd like to see you try."

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh, you're on."

Both Don and Elisabeth stood staring at each other as grins started to spread over their faces.

"Can't do it, can you?"

Elisabeth shook her head. "No, but neither can you."

Don laughed as he pulled her in for a kiss. "Exactly."


	28. Chapter 45 & 46

Chapter 45  
Elisabeth stepped out of the dressing room, smoothing the fabric of the dress she wore. She looked in the mirror again and declared with a smile, "This is the one. This is the dress I want." The dress was a strapless, ivory-colored satin ensemble with a chiffon overlay, a dropped waistline, and embroidered lace that flared out to a chapel train. Crystal beads, hand-sewed into dainty patterns, sparkled in the light.

She turned around slowly, allowing the dress to swirl gently, and said, "So?"  
Her friend Susan gasped. "Oh my god, that is so the right dress. Are you going to wear the lace jacket?"

"Yeah, I think so. At least for the ceremony it gives a vintage look with it." Elisabeth looked over her shoulder at the back of the dress and looked expectantly at Amita.

The young woman agreed. "It looks beautiful on you."

Mary Beth giggled, "You are not going to be able to keep Don's hands off of you the whole day."

Elisabeth gave them a little mischievous grin. "Well, that would be interesting, it's usually the other way around."

The girls burst out into loud laughter while they continued to look through the racks at the bridesmaids' dresses.

Elisabeth gave them a smile and turned to the approaching sales girl. "This is the one. Will it be ready in time?"

The sales girl replied as she tugged gently at the dress waist, "Yes, I can have it altered for you in about two weeks. We can sell you this one since it seems to be a good fit. It looks like we'll hardly have to do any alterations."

She smoothed down the front of her shirt touching her almost flat stomach and answered, "Great, that's good. I know it's getting down to the wire but I wanted to get in shape as much as possible." She turned back to her friends. "If you guys want you can choose different tops but I'd like it if you all chose the A-line skirt in the garnet-red colored like we discussed."

Amita replied, "Oh good, because I liked the halter-top style but Susan liked the strapless."

Elisabeth smiled and said, "Sounds like a plan."

The ladies nodded in agreement and went to choose the tops that fit their figure the best. Elisabeth changed into her street clothes and waited while her friends tried on the tops.

She sat down on the couch and sipped the tea that the boutique had provided. Amused, she watched her friends go through the different styles before she spied a familiar face.

She immediately went on alert and wondered what the hell he was doing there. Elisabeth called back to the girls, "I'm gonna step outside to make a phone call. I'll be right back."

She made her way out the front door where they made eye contact. He gave her a slight nod in the direction of the alleyway. She shrugged in agreement and followed. After Elisabeth checked that no one else was around she asked, "Okay, Toro? Why are you following me?"

"Ah, so you just noticed, took you long enough. You're losing your touch," he coolly replied.

"Whatever." She glared at him. "So what do you want?"

"It's not what I want. It's what I have to tell you."

"Stop with the theatrics."

"If I were to ask you who you are most afraid of, what would you say?"

Before she could answer, he said, "The director, but you killed him so that's not really a problem anymore." He grimaced. "There is only one person that I know who has ever inspired true fear in you—and for that matter me."

Realization hit her with a cold chill as she gasped, "Reynolds!"

"Yes."

"Why? How? I thought he was locked up in a Turkish prison?"

Mario answered, "Yeah, that is what we all thought. Unfortunately the CIA had to turn a blind eye, since they would have had to divulge what he was doing in their country." He stopped talking and clenched his fist. "The bad news is he broke out. And he's pissed. He's on a killing spree. Killing anyone he perceives as letting him rot in that hellhole. He killed one of Ryson's men and two of Jensen's. The director's put out an order; he wants all ops to bring him in, deadly force if necessary."

She swore under her breath.

"But you know who Thompkins really wants working on this, don't you? He knows that the only ones who could find him are, well, my team. Meaning you. Reynolds always had a soft spot for you."

She grimaced at the thought of him making passes at her that first year she had joined the team. He used to always call her his little protégé.

"So what do you say? Want to strap on the old gear and go hunting?"

"Toro, I can't. I promised Don that I wouldn't go back into the field."

Toro growled, "He's made you soft."

"Toro, it's not like that at all. I have to think what's best for my daughter now."

"Yeah, I heard about that." He barked a hard laugh. "Can't believe you of all people have a baby." He paused a minute. "But you should do it for her. I have a feeling if Reynolds finds out you, me, and Mario are still alive, there is no question we will be his next targets. You know he hates us, thinks we were the director's favorites. That we got all the 'good' jobs."

"Getting the better jobs goes with the territory when you're better at it and—oh yeah—you're not crazy."

He snorted. "Yeah, he's still crazy. I think he's worse since he was in captivity. Anyway the word is the case has been given to the Feds since he also killed a US Marshall and an AUSA in New York. I heard your man Eppes has been assigned to it. I also know that the CIA and NSA are not telling the Feds who and what Reynolds really is, and we both know that's a dangerous situation for them. My Intel tells me he's headed west, probably looking for any team that is still operational."

She muttered to herself, "Still don't know why they kept him on duty. He was so unhinged."

Toro arched an eyebrow at Elisabeth. "Unhinged?"  
"  
Yeah, well, at least I wasn't crazy and a psychopathic killer."

"Yeah, that's true," he replied mildly. "Elle, you know we are the only ones who can come close to stopping him."

She ran her knuckle on her lips and thought. "Toro…I can't." She thought for a few minutes. She shook her head. "I shouldn't but you are right, no one has a chance getting him, not even the Feds, even if Don is leading them—especially if the NSA is holding back intel. No one has a chance in hell to get him and come out of it with their lives intact."

"You know I wouldn't be here if I didn't know that."

"Alright, but I have to be really careful. I'm gonna have to think of some reason to be out most of the day without drawing suspicion on myself since I'm only part time at the bakery now. I maybe can give you eight hours a day or so."

"I understand, and I'll take what I can get."

"And I will need someone to watch Maggie," she said

"The assistant director of special ops in our area said that part could be covered. She'll be in a secure location when you're working, with other children that need protection."

Toro gave a sad look to Elisabeth as he walked away. "I'll call you in a day to see what arrangements you've made. I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, whatever, tell me that when Eppes finds out that I'm hiding things from him again." She raised her eyes to the sky and prayed that all would work out and Don would never find out. She took a deep breath and walked back into the bridal salon. She had a feeling that everything would come crashing down upon her and the perfect wedding dress would sit forever on its hanger.

Chapter 46  
Don sat down at the dinner table and smiled thanks as Elisabeth placed a bowl of soup in front of him. Maggie was in her bouncy chair squealing for her mother to hurry up and FEED HER!

Elisabeth groaned at her daughter's behavior as she sat down to begin feeding her cereal. "You can be such a little monster." Maggie grunted and continued to squeal in frustration at the pace she was being fed.

Don smiled at his daughter and said, "If you want I can feed her the cereal while you eat."

"No, I'm not really hungry right now."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"Yeah, it's fine. Maggie's cutting a new tooth. Your dad said she wouldn't stop putting everything and anything into her mouth today."

Don smiled. "First tooth, eh, Ms. Maggie? We are getting to be a big girl now."

Maggie turned to look at Don, squealing at the mention of her name. She then promptly turned her attention back her to mother and tried to  
grab the spoon from Elisabeth.

"How was dress shopping?"

"It was fine. We had a good time," she answered, trying to sound casual.

"Did you find anything?"

She gave him a sly grin and said, "I've decided to go naked."

Don grinned back. "I really don't have a problem with that, but you know the aunts may disapprove."

She gave him her most serious smile and replied, "Well, your aunts did say I shouldn't wear white."

Don laughed. "This is true."

She grinned back. She finished feeding Maggie the cereal and took her into the living room to breast-feed her.

After a few minutes Don joined her. "I cleaned up the dishes and put the soup away."

"Thanks."

He nodded back and took the seat next to her. He ran the back of his fingers along the side of Elisabeth's head.  
Don and Elisabeth sat in silence for over ten minutes. Don's fingers were still brushing the side of her face. Elisabeth snuck a peak at Don out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were closed and he looked content and relaxed.

He opened his eyes and saw her peering at him. "With her new tooth coming in, I guess you won't be able to do this too much longer."

"Hmm? Oh yeah. Yikes. Well, as long as she doesn't chomp down on me we'll keep going..."

"Good. I like these moments with both of you."

Elisabeth smiled back at Don. She chose the followings word carefully or, as she thought, lies. "Uh, Don. The NSA asked me to help them join a team to organize some old files at their offices. They need at least a top level clearance to do this and since I have that…they asked me."

"Oh, yeah, okay, but what about Maggie?"

"They are going to provide daycare for her with a couple of other children."

"Oh, yeah, that's good. Maybe Dad will even want to baby-sit for her more. You should ask him."

"Yeah, I know, but he's got a lot going on with his new business and he already does two days. I don't think it is fair to ask more of him."

"I don't think he will mind." He touched Maggie's cheek. "I'll ask him tomorrow night at dinner."

Elisabeth wanted to argue about asking Alan to baby-sit more but she didn't want to make Don suspicious. "Well, maybe we can work a schedule out with him."

"Sounds good, here let me burp her for you. Go and eat something. You look really pale."

"Um, okay. Sure." Elisabeth handed the baby to him and straightened her clothing before getting up from the couch. She went into the  
kitchen and took out her cell phone before she looked back into the living room to make sure Don was occupied with Maggie. She watched as he walked around with her in his arms, patting her on the back and talking to her gently. Elisabeth grimaced at what she was about to do. Once she made this phone call there was no going back and most likely there would be no forgiveness for her. She took a deep breath as she dialed Toro's number. "It's me. I've got it all worked out. I can help you for a few hours tomorrow but I have to be done by fiveish to go over to my future father-in-law's for supper." She stopped and listened to Toro. "Okay. I'll meet you there. Where should I drop Maggie? Good. Yeah, send me those files. I'll try to look at them tonight." She pressed End on the phone and put it back in her purse, then she walked back into the living room to stand next to Don.

He reached out and touched her cheek. "Something wrong, Elisabeth?"

"No, nothing." She tilted her head into the palm of his hand.

"You don't seem like yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, maybe just a little tired."

Don searched her face for another minute. "I'll give Maggie her bath so you can relax."

"You sure?"

He nodded and kissed her on the forehead.

"Thanks."

She watched him go upstairs. After she heard the water running in the tub she turned on the computer. She started reading the last cases that Reynolds and his team had worked on and the psych evaluation. The therapist wrote, "Reynolds is becoming increasing unpredictable and his use of deadly force is also increasing." She made a mental note to find out what had changed for him. He was always unbalanced and more violent than she thought was necessary. But before she could voice her opinions to her superiors about it, his team was sent into Turkey by a joint CIA/NSA project. She had heard that he has been imprisoned and figured complaining that he was a psychopath was a  
really a moot point when he was probably going to be executed. She sighed and continued reading. Toro was able to get a hold of his background and found out that before becoming a covert op he had been an FBI agent with a wife and daughter. They had been killed in retribution for him investigating a drug lord. No wonder he had no mercy for anyone involved with drugs. She watched him coldly kill everyone he could. But, now things made sense to her. She also remembered all the time he spent in training her. He called her his little protégée. Always trying to gauge just how much rage she had and always pushing more out of her. She hated what he made her. She decided to look into her own file and was calmed that it read exactly what it should. It read MISSING. She hoped that would buy her more time before Reynolds decided to come looking for her. She heard Don come back down stairs. She quickly closed the file and password protected it.

He stood behind her, massaging her shoulders and said, "I put Maggie down for the night." He paused for a moment while she looked up at him. "I wanted to let you know that I'm working on a new case and since it involves a fugitive recovery I requested Coop to help."

"Coop? Oh." She thought to herself, damn, now I'm really gonna have to watch out for both of them. "I appreciate you telling me."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want you to get upset in case you saw him at the office or he comes by the house."

"Yeah, I understand. So, what kind of case?"

"An FBI agent or former agent, I guess. He's on a killing spree and they think he's headed out here to settle some old scores. He's killed at least five people and we think he's come out to kill his old partner."

"Oh. I wonder what made him snap," she mused. She wanted to see what he would say to gauge how much he knew.

He shrugged. "No clue. We started going through his old files and there is nothing. After he quit the FBI his file said that he worked in security, then disappeared a few years back."

She wanted to laugh at what Don said. If he only knew what Reynolds had been doing over the last ten years he would think that Elisabeth was a saint in comparison.

"Yeah, Megan is working on a profile so maybe that will help. And we have his supposed next target under surveillance. So we'll get him. "

"Yeah, sure." Elisabeth was starting to feel sick lying to Don. She stood up, put her arms around him, and kissed him.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

"No reason." She looked into his eyes. "I love you so much Don. You know that, right?"

His face looked puzzled as he replied, "Elisabeth, yes, I know, and I love you too." He gave her a small grin and said, "If I knew that trying on wedding dresses would make you so mushy I would have suggested it sooner."

She tried to give him a winning smile as she suggested, "Take me upstairs, Fed."

Once in the bedroom Elisabeth pounced on Don. All she wanted was to feel his lips on hers and his arms surrounding her; she wanted to forget about Reynolds for a while and lose herself in his embrace. As they made love she filed away in her heart every move he made because she was afraid that it would be one of the last times they would be like this together.  



	29. Chapter 47 & 48

Chapter 47

Don and his team were in a conference room listening to Megan's profile of James Reynolds when a tech came running in to tell him that Reynolds was calling. "Patch him through to conference room five," he barked out. "David, run a trace on this."

David whipped out his phone and called down to trace. A deep baritone voice came over the speaker. "Am I speaking to the agent in charge of tracking me?"

Don grimaced. "You are speaking with Special Agent Eppes."

"Agent Eppes. Before you waste your time and try tracing this call, you are not going to be able to. My signal is being bounced off several towers and it will be at least seven minutes until you'll be able to come within five miles of where I am and another two minutes to get with in two city blocks. I only plan to talk to you for around four minutes, so don't waste your time."

Don snapped, "What do you want?"

"I'll get to that in a minute but I want to tell you a little story first, because I am sure the NSA and CIA have told you nothing."

"What do the NSA and CIA have to do with this?"

Reynolds laughed a low laugh. "Oh, they are keeping so much from you." He laughed again. "Well, let me enlighten you, Agent Eppes." Reynolds told them all about his time in the NSA over the last ten years and then he told them about Turkey and how his county let him down. He stopped and sighed. "Oh, what good times they were until Turkey, but I'll make the ones that are to blame for leaving me there pay for it. But now I want something else. And you and your little friends will give it to me or—well, let's just say the suffering will increase by means of perhaps a WMD or something else. In the files that I have just emailed your offices you'll see all the things I am capable of doing. In the email are also my demands. I want to know the locations of five people. I'll call in four hours to make sure you've found them." With that he hung up.

Another agent came running in with the printouts. She said, "Agent Eppes, this came for you. It is at least a 150-page email. Here are the first 50 or so pages. The printer is still spitting out the rest."

Don divided the pages between Colby and David. He turned to Megan and said, "So does this change your profile of him?"

She gave him a quirk of a smile. "Yeah, maybe. Let's see what he wants."

After a few more minutes the same female agent came in with more pages. Don took them from her and began to flip through them. He stopped when he came to the photos.

Megan looked up from the pages she was looking at and asked with concern in her voice, "Don? What's wrong?"

Don looked up, a strange look on his face. He said, keeping his voice controlled, "Here are the photos of the people he wants." He tacked them up on the wall.

Megan, Colby and David all gasped at three of the photos. They were photos of an older man, Toro and Elisabeth.

Colby said, "What the...?"

Don said, "Reynolds must have been on a covert NSA op team like Elisabeth was." He swore, "Damn." He took out his cell phone and called her.

Elisabeth answered the call as she read the caller ID. She immediately felt the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up.

"Don, hey."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home fixing Maggie some cereal before I take her over to your dad's. He's going to baby-sit Maggie for a couple of hours."

He was silent for a minute. "Elisabeth, I want you and Maggie to come down to the office ASAP. I'll explain everything when you get here."

"Uh—ok. What's going on?"

"Please, Elisabeth, don't argue with me. Just do as I ask this once." He paused again. "I need to know if you have had any contact with Toro or anyone else on your own team?"

Uncertainty filled her reply. "Um, yeah, I have."

"Okay. When you get here I'll need that. I want you to leave now."

"All right, if that's what you want. I'll leave now."

"Yes, please. Get here soon." With that he ended the call. Elisabeth immediately grabbed her purse and the diaper bag and took Maggie out of her bouncy chair. She then made her way quickly to the car and secured Maggie before getting into the front seat. She tried to figure out why Don had called her. He must know about Reynolds. Why else would he want to know if she knew how to contact the others?

She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed Toro. She waited for him to pick up. "Yeah?" she heard him snap into the phone.

"Toro. Don just called me. He wants me to go down to the FBI office and he wants to know if I know how to contact you."

He swore under his breath. "Didn't think the feds would put the pieces together that fast and figure out Reynolds' agenda."

"Toro, it's over. We've been working for over a week and we've failed to locate him. Maybe we should team up with Don and his team or turn it over to them completely. I doubt we're gonna find him before he kills again."

"Elle we have our orders."

"Yeah, well, to hell with those orders! They make no sense. There are too few of us to find him even if we are the best to do it."

"You lack faith."

She barked a harsh laugh, "Has nothing to do faith. I know when to admit defeat."

"You just don't want the Fed to find out."

She glanced into the rear view mirror to see her daughter had gotten off her sock and was chewing on her bare foot. "Yeah, well, he knows something and I am really tired of hiding this crap from him. Listen Toro, I don't expect you to understand, but I promised that I wouldn't hide things from him again and I think this may fall under that realm."

"The brass is gonna go through the roof."

"Since when do you care what brass thinks?"

"Fine, you can work with the Feds but you can leave me out of this. I'll find him myself." With that he hung up his phone.

She muttered to herself, "Damn male ego." She started the car to head to the FBI office and thought, "Time to face the music." As she put the car in gear she heard a knock on her car window. She looked up and her heart froze. She hissed, "Jamie."

Reynolds gave her a cold smile, "Hello Elle. How ya been? Oh and whose is this little angel sitting in the back?" With that he turned his gun on Maggie.

Chapter 48

Elisabeth's eyes went wide as she watched him turn the barrel of the gun toward her daughter.

"I've been looking for you." He waved the gun at her. "Keep your hands on the wheel where I can see them," Reynolds snarled.

Elisabeth gripped the wheel so hard her knuckles were turning white. "What do you want?"

Reynolds eyes flicked back to the baby. "She yours?"

"Yes. She is."

"How old?" He looked at the baby who was babbling to herself and trying to get her whole foot into her mouth.

"A little older than five months."

"What's her name?"

"Jamie…"

"I said Elle, what's her name?"

She answered in quiet fury, "Maggie."

His eyes clouded over with some memory. He repeated the name under his breath. "Maggie." His eyes returned to their normal cold selves. He snorted a cold laugh. "I can't believe you of all people have settled down." He saw the ring on her finger and spat, "Love to know what this man did to break you."

Feeling rage start to build in her blood she asked, "Jamie, what do you want?"

"Do you know where I've been, Elle?"

"There were rumors but by the time I heard them I had quit," she lied, hoping he did not know when she had quit working for the NSA.

"Well, what you heard is the truth. They left me there to rot. They will pay for it," he spat out.

"Who are they?"

His eyes turned feral as he said, "You know who they are and I want you to help me. They will know the consequences of leaving a man behind."

Elisabeth watched as her daughter, oblivious to the pending threat, happily babbled to herself as she starting prying off the sock on her other foot. Afraid of what he would do should she refuse him outright, Elle decided to play along. "Jamie, listen, I understand why you would want to get even. You taught me everything, but I'm afraid that I've been out of the game too long. Please understand that I can't join up with you. I have to think of my daughter now. Can you understand that and forgive me?"

She watched his eyes cloud over again and held her breath. He seemed to consider what she had said. "Ok, Elle. You don't have to join me but if you change your mind use protocol delta five to contact me."

Elisabeth carefully replied, "Ok, Jamie."

He turned and gave her a cold smile. "Oh, and Elle, don't get in my way. I could always change my mind."

She felt a chill go up her spine. She nodded. "I won't."

Reynolds started to walk away when he turned and said, "One last thing. If you talk to Mario you can tell him the offer stands for him too. I wouldn't mind having him around. But if you talk to Toro you can tell him that there is no place to hide in this world." She watched him get into an old beat up Chevy Impala, and promptly memorized the tags. Probably stolen; his rage could be making him sloppy.

After watching him drive east Elisabeth blinked back hot tears and tore out quickly to the FBI office. She arrived at the building in less then twenty minutes and thanked whatever god was on duty that day that she was not pulled over. She quickly got out of the car and unbuckled Maggie from her car seat. She walked as quickly as she could to the entrance where she showed her NSA badge and was admitted upstairs. She held on to Maggie as tightly as the infant would allow. Elisabeth's chest was tight and felt like it was on fire. What she couldn't decide what she was most anxious about—her confrontation with Reynolds earlier, or the reaction that Don would have when he found that she had lied about what she had been working on over the last week.

--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Elisabeth stepped off the elevator and walked as quickly as he could over to Don. She put her free arm around Don's neck and hugged him as tightly as possible with the baby between them. Don, a little surprised by Elisabeth's unusual display of public affection, said, "Elisabeth, what's wrong?" He pulled away from her and saw her lips and face were drained of all color. Her eyes were wild and held a slight note of fear. He watched her shake her head as if trying to rid herself of some demons. "Don, I can't do it anymore. I need to talk to you." She looked around and spotted Coop. She turned back to Don and said, "In private."

Taken aback by the vehemence in her words, he replied, "Okay Elisabeth, I need to talk to you too. Here, I can have Jill from Forensic Accounting watch Maggie while we talk."

"No, she stays with me." He watched her very possessively hold Maggie.

"Elisabeth, at least let me take her for a minute. You look like you are about to collapse." Don put his hands out and lifted his daughter out of her arms. He started to walk toward an empty conference room, beckoning her to follow. "Let's go in here."

Maggie squealed and started talking, "Bwhwbwa bhwa bywa." Don smiled as he listened to her talk. Maggie grinned at Don while she proceeded to try to grab the pen out of Don's pocket. He shook his head at her, taking the pen out of her little hands. Maggie gave Don and indignant look and then tried for the pen behind his ear. When he thwarted those efforts she started to flail her hands around. She then tried to lean towards Don's face and grab his hair. "Hey, little girl; stop." He closed the door behind Elisabeth. After she walked in he sat down in one of the chairs and settled Maggie onto his lap. He turned the frustrated infant around forward on his lap so she could see her mother. Elisabeth went to take Maggie back into her arms.

"Elisabeth, let me hold her. I think I can handle my own daughter. What's got you so worked up?"

Elisabeth nervously played with her ponytail. "Don, why did you want me to drop everything and come here?"

He looked up from playing with Maggie and cautiously replied, "Elisabeth, we received some intel today that leads me to believe that your life is in danger. A man named Reynolds has made some threats unless we give in to his demands."

Before Don could finish she blurted out, "I know what he wants. He already found me."

"What?"

She continued as if not hearing him, "He wants me and Mario to help him with his plans for revenge." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Don, I know all about Jamie Reynolds but I suspect that you know that I knew him too. I can't hide it from you anymore but the NSA asked me to help Toro track Jamie when his rampage started a week ago. The NSA had already received intel that he was heading out to California to act out his own personal revenge on those he perceived as failing him."

His jaw clenched as he growled, "You've been doing what?"

"I, uh, I'm sorry but the NSA wanted it dealt with quickly without outside involvement and they knew that I knew Jamie Reynolds better then anyone." She swallowed hard before talking. "He trained me when I first joined the teams. He considers  
me his protégé."

A dark look passed over Don's eyes. "I thought we were beyond you lying to me." Don's mind whirled with questions and rage at her actions.

Elisabeth voice trembled. "I know, Don. I didn't want to, but I felt I had no choice. NSA protocol demanded that we keep it under wraps. I thought we would be able to take care of this swiftly, that I could find him quickly for Toro and eliminate him as at threat."

He asked with contempt, "So why are you telling me now?"

"Because I know we can't do it by ourselves. We don't have the man power." She tried to blink back tears. "Please, Don. I didn't want to keep this from you anymore. I've had enough."

"Does Toro know that you've broken your protocol?" He couldn't believe what she was doing. He trusted this woman and once again she proved that she couldn't be trusted. Don felt his anger build to a pinnacle as she answered him.

"Yes, but I've always done what I want. He told me to do whatever but he was going to find Reynolds himself."

Don snorted at what she said, "Yeah, you always do what you want. But do you ever think of the consequences? No, Elisabeth, you don't." He stood up from the chair, handed the baby to her and said, "I'll have you go over your intel with David before you go into protective custody. I've already sent my dad and Charlie there in case Reynolds learned that they were close to you."

She snapped, "Protective custody? You got to be kidding. I am not going in to custody."

Don grabbed Elisabeth by the elbow and walked her out of the conference room. "This is not up for discussion. You will go into protective custody until we get this mess cleaned up."

Before she could retort back, Coop sauntered over with David following him. "Don, we got a tip that Reynolds was spotted at a bar on 90th and Reading. I was going to take David to go check it out."

"No, Coop. I'll go with you to check it out. Elisabeth needs to give her statement to David." Don turned to David and ordered, "Take her statement." He then turned and spoke to two other agents at their desks. "After Ms. Grier gives her statement you, Agent Rose, and Agent Davis will immediately escort my fiancée and my daughter into protective custody." Don snatched Elisabeth's car keys that were dangling out of her jeans pocket and handed them to David. "Lock these in my desk." David stood in shock at the interaction that was going down between Don and Elisabeth. Don saw David start to hesitate. "Now, David," he barked out.

Elisabeth's eyes blazed as she retorted, "Just who the hell do you think you are? We're not married, and you're not my keeper!"

Don mirrored her tone as he replied, "I'm the Agent in charge of this case and I'll do whatever I think is necessary to safeguard potential witnesses."

"You need my help. I know Reynolds better then anyone."

Don replied with sarcasm, "Yeah, well, if that's true how come you don't have him yet?"

Elisabeth opened her mouth to reply but Coop interjected, "Getting into trouble again, Elle?"

Elisabeth turned a cold glare at him. "If my daughter wasn't here, Coop, I would wipe that smug look off your face so quick you'd wish your mother never conceived you."

Don said wearily, "Knock it off you two. Coop, let's head out. David, take the statement and see that Agents Rose and Davis follow my orders." He shot one more look at Elisabeth and said with as much control as he could muster, "We'll talk about this when I get home." With that he grabbed his coat and headed out, leaving her fuming in rage.

(--------------------------------------- -----------------------------)

The tip that they'd received about Reynolds being at the bar had been a dead end. After going back to the office and reading Elisabeth's statement, Don decided that anything else would need to be worked on in the morning. Don arrived at the location that was being used to safeguard Elle and his family. Don showed his badge to the guards at the door and stepped into the house. He found Charlie working on some equation on a white board. As usual he didn't hear Don come in and continued to work.

"Charlie, it's after midnight, don't you think you should be sleeping?" Don said wearily.

Charlie slowly took his eyes away from the board. He blinked twice before responding. "Oh, hey Don. After midnight? Yeah, I'll go to bed. I've almost worked out the equation for you to use in your manhunt. I need maybe ten more minutes."

"Ok, Charlie. Where's everyone?"

Charlie replied, "Dad went to bed an hour ago. Elisabeth and Maggie are in that bedroom." He pointed to the door on the left. "Hey, Don, Elisabeth's been in there almost all evening. She only came out once to get something for Maggie. Don, she's really angry."

'I'll bet." He ran his hand through his hair.

"I've never seen her look this dangerous. What's going on?"

Don sighed. "Charlie, don't worry about it, okay? I'm gonna go to bed. Promise me you'll go to bed soon."

"Yeah, Don, I promise; ten minutes tops."

"Ok, then. 'night." Don squared his shoulder in preparation for the coming storm that was behind the bedroom door. He was still fuming at her for yet again lying and hiding this from him. He thought, "_How dare she be pissed at me for putting her in  
protective custody. I only did what was best for her and our daughter. She can be so selfish." _Sometimes he just wanted to shake sense into her and tell her to stop thinking of what she wanted and start thinking about what would be best for all.

He stepped into the bedroom and saw Elisabeth sitting on the edge of the bed. She had on purple pajamas and her hair was tied up in a bun. She looked up when he walked in. He felt her eyes bore into him. As he walked into the room he saw that Maggie was asleep in a crib. He paused, watched her for a moment. She was sucking her thumb and dreaming happily, her eyelashes framed her closed lids making her look like a sleeping doll. He couldn't help but smile at her little form; he reached out and ran his finger on her cheek softly so as not to disturb her. Don had hoped he would get home before she was put down for the night to rock her to sleep and enjoy a few peaceful minutes with her. After a minute he turned back to Elisabeth.

She continued to glare at him. He could feel the anger seething out of her. He stepped towards her and started to say,  
"Elisabeth…."

She gave him a nasty look before climbing into the bed. She pulled the blankets up and turned on her side facing away from Don.

Don shot his own look of anger back at her as he quickly undressed to his undershirt and boxers. He stalked towards the bathroom to brush his teeth before climbing into bed next to her. Two things occurred to him as he pulled the sheets up, first that she was not undressed and nude waiting for him and second that she did not immediately slide over to snuggle against him. For a quick second he almost reached out to pull her against him, but staring at the back of her head only made his anger deepen, so he mirrored her actions. Turning on his side away from her tried to will himself to sleep.


	30. Chapter 49 & 50

Chapter 49

It was some time after 6am when Don awoke. As he stretched, he realized his limbs were entangled with Elisabeth's. At some point in the night the two of them had instinctively wrapped themselves around each other. He nuzzled closer to her, thinking he had minutes before she noticed his closeness and pulled away. Don lay next to Elisabeth, enjoying her warmth. He could smell the light scent of her hair and feel her warm breath on his neck. He studied her face while she slept. Her face held none of the anger from the night before. His own anger had mostly faded away to a dull pulse. He hoped that when she awoke they could talk things out before he went back into the office. He watched her begin to stir. He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead and stroked her cheek.

Don felt her snuggle in closer to him and noted her eyes were slowly opening. He opened his mouth to say that he wanted them to talk about things when Elisabeth's eyes hardened and she yanked herself out of his arms. She glared at him as she quickly gathered the baby into her arms and locked herself in the bathroom with a loud slam of the door.

A groan of disgust escaped Don's lips as he flung the blankets off and got out of bed. Leaving the bedroom Don stomped to the other bathroom to shower and dress and put as much distance as he could between himself and Elisabeth. Once in the shower he felt his frustration and anger bubble back up as he washed his hair. He was at his wit's end with the woman. Didn't she realize that having her go to the safe house was for him? He had almost lost her once--no, twice--and he couldn't go through it again. It wasn't that he didn't value her skills or thought she wasn't capable, but Reynolds had already found her once. For his own sanity he needed her to step back.

After leaving the bathroom he spotted his dad sitting on the couch doing the crossword. His dad gave him a questioning look. "Son, there's coffee brewed if you want some. You want some breakfast?"

"No, Dad, no time, just gonna get some of the coffee." He fixed himself a travel mug and started to head out the door before he paused talking to his dad. "Dad, please, no matter what, promise me you will all stay here until this is cleared up."

Alan nodded. "Sure, Don, we're not going anywhere."

Relief flooded Don's mind. "Thanks."

Charlie wearily walked out of the other bedroom and gave Don a sleepy greeting. After coming back in with a cup of coffee Charlie spoke to Don. "I'm almost done with my analysis. I should have it for you after I add in the data that Elle provided. I'll call you in an hour or so."

"Yeah, Charlie that would be great," Don replied.

Charlie asked hopefully, "Did you and Elle make up?"

Before Don could answer Elisabeth came out of the bedroom with Maggie on her hip. She warmly said good morning to Alan and Charlie but gave an icy glare to Don, as she went into the kitchen.

Don turned to Charlie with a sigh. "What do you think, Chuck?"

Charlie gave him a sheepish look. "Ah. I guess not." After Don left Charlie asked in a low voice, "Who do you think is more stubborn?"

Alan looked over the top of his glasses. "I think they're even."

(-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

"Wake up, Fed."

Don awoke from a haze when he felt someone kick his kneecap. He groaned in pain and blinked awake. He found himself lying on his side, his hands cuffed behind his back. He tried to turn his head in the direction of the voice but when he did he was rewarded with a feeling of nausea. When his eyes finally focused on his surroundings he saw Jamie Reynolds looming over him.

"If you don't stay awake Fed, I'll shoot your partner in the other leg." Don tried to focus on the man's words. He heard Coop's voice penetrate more into the haze.

"Don, stay awake. You could have a head injury." Coop grunted in pain.

Reynolds sneered, "Yeah, Don, can't sleep. You might slip into a coma. Can't have that now, can we."

Don's mind whirled trying to remember what had happened. The last thing he remembered was Coop going down with a bullet to the thigh and then a blast of pain in his own skull. After a moment he turned his attention back to Reynolds, who was bent over Coop apparently tying off a tourniquet around his leg.

"Can't have you bleed to death before I'm finished, either," Reynolds muttered. After he finished administering first aid to Coop's leg he roughly grabbed Don's shoulders to sit him upright. Reynolds walked back to a table where he started going through Coop and Don's stuff. He opened Coop's wallet and read his ID badge. "Agent William Cooper, let's see what you have in your wallet." He found nothing really of interest till he dug in the back of the billfold. He pulled out a worn piece of floral paper. "Ah, what's this Agent Cooper? Ah, a note from your whore."

"Don't," Coop snarled.

Reynolds ignored him and read the note out loud. "_Sitting next to you all day makes me crazy. I want to see you again_. _Meet me at our place, E._" He crumpled up the piece of paper and tossed it aside. "Pathetic"

"It was long ago," Coop said lamely as he met Don's hazy gaze.

"I know." Don's voice came out slightly slurred.

Reynolds started to go through Don's wallet and came across his badge. "Special Agent Don Eppes. Oh the big fish. This is getting better and better. I guess you found me Eppes, now didn't you?" He laughed a hollow laugh and started pulling out the rest of the contents. "Oh, what's this? A lovely family photo?" On the back of the photo was written "Elisabeth and Maggie-age 3 months." Reynolds paused as he stared at the photo. A look of rage poured over his face as he took three swift steps towards Don and grabbed him by the collar.

He shoved the photo in Don's face as he said between clenched teeth, "Her?"

Don groaned as his head to bobbed up. Reynolds let go of Don, making him crash back to the floor with a thud. Hot pain seared into his head. He watched Reynolds pace back and forth and mutter to himself. Don caught a word here and there as Reynolds raged to himself.

"……...Elle…….helping….betrayed……will pay…"

He stopped pacing and turned a wild look at Don. An evil smile formed over his lips. He returned to the table and picked up Don's cell phone. He knelt in front of Don as he scrolled through the phone numbers on the phone.

He sneered as he pushed send, "Now the real fun will begin."

Through a haze of pain, Don's horror grew as he heard Reynolds say, "Hello, Elisabeth. What a lovely name."

(--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

Elisabeth had just put Maggie down for her nap when her cell phone rang. She grabbed it out of her purse and looked at the caller ID. She considered ignoring it but decided she'd better answer it. She didn't need to add more fuel the fire. She flipped it open and said tersely, "What do you want, Agent Eppes?"

Instead of hearing Don's voice she heard someone familiar say, "Hello, Elisabeth. What a lovely name."

She drew a sharp breath. "Jamie. What have you done with Agent Eppes?"

She heard the man on the other end start to chuckle. "Such a smart girl, I don't even need to explain why I'm calling from your lover's phone."

Her blood ran cold when he called Don her lover. "What do you want?"

"Want? Nothing really, I was thinking that I would just make you listen to me kill him. What do you think of that?"

Elisabeth felt fear clench in her chest but knew she had to play his game. "How do I know that you haven't already killed him?"

"Ah, again you never ceased to amaze me with your thinking. You want proof? Agent Eppes, someone to talk to you--oh wait, he's a bit out of it. Concussion maybe. Here, let me help you respond, Agent Eppes." A split second later she heard a thud followed by a loud groan. She heard Coop growl in the background. "Leave him alone you fu…."

Elisabeth said into the phone. "Don't I'll…I'll do whatever you want." She thought fast and said, "The Feds won't deal with you. Holding them can't help you achieve your goals, but I can."

He laughed at her. "What makes you think I would deal with you?"

"Because I can deliver Toro to you."

"Really? Very interesting. I'll deal with you, and only you. You bring any backup on this and, well, let's just say your man and me will have a little fun. I learned a lot in Turkey."

Elisabeth felt her stomach start to heave at what he implied. She took a deep breath to compose herself. "Fine, I'll bring him."

"Good. You have five hours."

"What! That's not enough time…"

He cut her off. "Five hours. I will call you and tell you where to go and remember, tell no one. Understand Elle? Or should I say Elisabeth?" With that he ended the phone call.

Elisabeth sank down onto the bed and tried to collect her thoughts. She took a deep breath. It was time to dance with the devil.

After changing her clothes, she wrote a quick note to Alan telling him she would do whatever it took to bring Don home and could he please take care of Maggie. She knew she would have to go out the window since she would never get out the front door unseen. She planted a kiss on Maggie's sleeping head and grabbed her coat. She opened the window and started to climb out. She was about to pull the other leg onto the ledge when she felt a hand on her thigh. She looked back at a shocked Charlie.

"Elle, what are you doing?"

"Charlie, I have to go."

"Go where? What's going on?"

They both looked down at Charlie's cell phone as it rang. He grabbed it off his belt and flipped it open. "Hello?"

Elisabeth watched Charlie's face drain of color as he listened to the person on the other end. He hung up the call without saying goodbye. He turned to Elisabeth and said, "Don's missing. You have a clue where he is, don't you?"

"Charlie, it's not that simple," she said with a sigh.

"Well, do you?"

'Yes. I promise I will bring him back."

"I want to help."

"No." She shook her head.

"If you don't let me help, I'll tell the agents outside that you're leaving."

"How can you help, Charlie?" Elisabeth answered in annoyance.

Charlie stammered, "I don't know."

"Exactly, now go back inside and let me do what needs to be done."

He shook his head. "No. I'm coming."

"Charlie, go back," Elisabeth warned.

His eyes hardened as he crossed his arms. "No, I'm coming, and you can't stop me."

"No?"

"Yeah, you would never hurt me."

Exasperated, she said, "Fine. Just do exactly as I say."

"Uh, what will that be...?"

"Whatever's necessary for you to stay out of my way."

Chapter 50

Reynolds snapped Don's cell phone shut and gave him one last malevolent grin before leaving the room.

Don managed to get himself into a sitting position. He slowly turned his head to get a better bearing on his surroundings.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. He felt fear tighten his chest at the thought that Elisabeth had made some kind of deal with Reynolds to free Coop and him. He couldn't let whatever she agreed to do come to fruition.

His head hurt so much that when he turned to Coop he felt another wave of pain, "Coop. Your leg?"

"The bullet went clean through and the tourniquet has stopped the bleeding but I don't think I will get far. Your head?"

"Spinning, seems like I'm seeing everything through a glass fish bowl. Coop, we have to get out of here before whatever Elisabeth agreed to transpires."

"I agree we need to get ourselves free but I think we should be more prepared to back up Elle in whatever she has planned. I know you worked with her that one time so you should know what she capable of. Don, you shouldn't underestimate her skills."

"I don't, Coop. I just don't want her getting deeper into this."

Coop blew out a sharp breath. "She knows what she's doing, Don."

Before Don could reply Reynolds walked back into the room. His eyes were more feral than when he had left. He stood in front of Don and Coop and said, "Your girlfriend just called back. She's on her way." He scratched his jaw and looked at Don. "I was going to have a little fun with you two but she made me promise to leave both of you alone." He kicked Coop in the leg, which made him wince with pain. "What I want to know is why she bargained for Agent Cooper just as hard as her lover? What do you mean to her?"

Coop said between gritted teeth, "I mean nothing to her, nothing."

Reynolds laughed. "Agent Cooper, you're a liar. Elle never does anything without a reason. So I ask you again, what do you mean to her?"

"Nothing. I don't know why she bargained for me, she hates my guts," Coop growled.

"Really? I'm not sure if I believe that either. Maybe the question I should ask is what does she mean to you?" When no reply was forthcoming Reynolds pulled out a utility knife from his back pocket. He waved it in front of Coop's face like he was going to use it on him, then grinned and plunged it into Don's leg instead.

Taken by surprise, Don let out a piercing yell of pain.

Reynolds pulled the knife from Don's leg and turned again to look at Coop. He made a show of the knife once more before turning to use it a second time on Don.

Coop quickly answered, "We worked on a case together years ago."

Reynolds put the knife back into his pocket and said, "See, was that so hard?" He got up to walk away, and then stopped. "Worked together?" An idea spread across his face as he turned back to Coop. "It's more than that." He laughed in Coop's face. "Your lack of a reply is admission enough. I recognize that handwriting on your little love note. Elle was E. Aren't you sweet to carry a note from her around." He turned his attention back to Don." Well, Agent Eppes, how does it feel to know that your fellow agent here shared your woman's bed?" He picked up the crumpled note and said, "And apparently carries a torch for her still. Do you two swap stories of what she's like in the sack? Compare notes on what she does? Maybe I'll just have to find that out for myself."

Don emitted a low growl from his throat. "You'll never get within two feet of her! Either she'll kill you or I will before I'll ever let that happen."

Reynolds smirked and then the smile left his face. "Only if I don't kill the two of you first! Her for her lies and you for being the one she is willing to give it all up for. Never thought I would see the day." His eyes took on an unnatural gleam as his ranting increased. "I trained her for better things than the likes of you. Never thought she would ever give up what she enjoyed so much to the exclusion of everything else. What could she have possibly seen in you to make her walk away from all she ever knew, compromise herself by having a child?" He hauled Don up and slammed him against the wall. He pulled the knife from his pocket and waved it in front of Don's face. He slashed across Don's ribcage as he screamed, "When she gets here Elle has a lot of explaining to do." He let go of Don, who slumped back to the floor. Reynolds grabbed the picture of Elle before leaving the room.

"Still think she can handle him?" Don mumbled to Coop.

Coop not able to meet Don's eyes replied, "Yeah, but I'd rather not risk her."

They lapsed into silence. After a few minutes Don spoke. "Coop, I need to ask you--"

Coop had been dreading this. "Don't. You won't like the response. I just accept that she's not the same person from six years ago even though I am. She's where she's supposed to be."

Don cleared his throat. "In my wallet there's a spare cuff key. Do you think you can get it?"

Coop felt his face grow hot. "I don't know, Don. My legs aren't tied but the wound is starting to feel numb." He tried to push himself up but his leg could not hold him. With his uninjured leg he slowly scooted himself over to the table. Eventually he raised himself to the level of the table and with hands cuffed behind him, grabbed Don's wallet. He quickly decided he'd better get back to where Reynolds had left him last in case the man returned. Back in his former position he tried to go though Don's wallet with his cuffed arms behind his back.

They heard a sound from the other room followed by voices. One was Reynolds and the other one sounded like a woman's.

Don's eyes widened with fear as he whispered, "Oh god, she's here."

Coop felt his blood run cold as he tried to search faster in Don's wallet.

(---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

Charlie, Toro, and Elisabeth got out of the car about a mile back from the house where Reynolds was holding Don and Coop.

Elisabeth checked her gun before turning to the two men. "Let's go over the plan one last time. We park at the end of the driveway. I'll go in and show Jamie the picture of a tied-up Toro. I'll try to get Reynolds to come out to the car. Toro will be in the trunk ready to shoot Reynolds when he opens it. I hope that he's too crazy to figure out what we're doing." She walked to the open trunk and pulled out a second gun and utility knife; pocketing the knife she turned to Charlie. "Charlie, no matter what happens stay in the driver's seat and if things go south drive out of here as fast as you can. Call for help when you are at least five miles away. Promise me." She handed him a gun.

Charlie took the gun from her and stared at it.

Elisabeth saw the look on his face. "Charlie, you wanted to come and if you need to protect yourself, do it. You've become a pretty good shot since you've been going to the range with your brother; just do what you have to do."

He nodded slowly and got back in the car. Elle helped Toro into the trunk. She took a picture of him trussed up like a turkey with her cell phone. She then untied him, handed him his weapons and then closed the trunk. She took a deep breath before getting into the car. She turned to Charlie and said, "Ok, drop me off at the top of the driveway. I'll walk the rest of the way."

When Charlie pulled to a stop Elle got out of the car and walked to the door. She rapped hard and waited for a reply. She heard him tell her to come in slowly with hands in the air.

She entered and walked slowly forward with her hands near her face, palms forward.

He sat in a chair with his feet up on a desk. He had no weapons that she could see. The room was sparse except for a duffle bag. Reynolds spoke. "Four hours and fifty seven minutes. You always were punctual."

Elisabeth's well-trained eyes took in her surroundings. "Where are they?'

"Ah, right to the point. All in due time." He paused. "You've come armed."

She snorted. "Like I would walk in here without a weapon. For Christ's sake, you're the one who taught me, remember?"

"True. So true. Put it on the floor and slide it away from you." After a stare off Elisabeth did as he requested. He watched her intently and questioned, "What I can't still fathom is why you left it all behind. But those questions can be answered later. Where's Toro?"

"At the top of the driveway in a car. He's drugged and in the trunk. Upon my signal my partner will drive down here and give you the package." She made an obvious move to her waist to show him that she was getting a cell phone out. She flipped it open and scrolled to the picture that she had taken of Toro. She tossed the phone to Reynolds.

He caught the phone and looked at the picture. "Good."

"Now let me see Agent Eppes and Agent Cooper."

He gave her a wild smile and pointed to a doora "In there."

Not taking her eyes of Reynolds she walked slowly to the door. She opened it and saw Don lying on his side. He had a knife wound in his left leg, one across his chest and some bruises on his face. There was a nasty cut on his forehead and he looked dazed. She turned a critical eye to Coop and noticed a few bruises on his face and a split lip. He was also suffering from a gunshot wound. Overcome with emotion she fell to Don's side. He let out a hiss as she touched his head. She murmured quietly, "It's ok. I'm here. It soon will be all over." She watched comprehension dawn in his eyes. "Maggie misses her daddy," she said as she tenderly smoothed Don's hair. "You ok, Coop?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

Without taking her eyes off Don she said, "Coop, if I'd wanted a bullet in you I would have shot you myself and it wouldn't have been in the leg."

Coop let out a grunt of amusement at her comment. "I'll keep that in mind."

Reynolds walked in and said, "Ah, what a touching moment."

Elisabeth snarled, "You promised me you wouldn't hurt them."

"I did. Didn't I? Well I didn't do much. I think I was pretty restrained." She watched him run his hand through his goatee and his eyes turned lustful. "You know right before you got here the boys were describing the delights of being between your thighs."

Trying to keep herself from vomiting at the whole idea that Reynolds wanted her she decided to use it to her advantage. "Whatever they told you it could never describe the true event." She rose and walked slowly and sensuously toward him as his eyes burned black with desire. He took out Elle's phone and handed it to her, his fingers brushing hers. "Call your man to drive down to the front. Let's be done with this."

Elisabeth dialed Charlie. "Hey, math genius, drive down to the front to deliver the package." She flipped the phone shut and slid it into her pocket, hoping Don would forgive her for bringing his brother into the middle of this.

Elle and Reynolds stood and stared at each other. Reynolds' hand stretch forth to touch Elle's cheek when she slapped it away. "You make me sick. Don't you even try that again, I'd rather die than to have you touch me."

"Fine, then die!" he hissed as he backhanded her.

Elisabeth went crashing into the wall but as fast as he hit her she spun into a defensive stance. Reynolds threw back his head and laughed. "So you think to take me on. Let's see what the student has learned since her last class."

The two fought with quick, harsh movements as they tried to evade each other. Elle seemed to be gaining ground; she had picked up several moves since she had last "trained" with Reynolds. But he knew her one weakness; he just had to set her up and see if she still did it. He threw two quick jabs with his right and managed to clip her in the jaw hard enough to goad her, not hurt her.

Elle fell for it. She retaliated with left roundhouse to his exposed ribs, followed by a right to his solar plexus--and there was her weakness. She dropped her left elbow as her left foot came down. Elle was open to attack.

If Reynolds had had time to smile he would have; instead he moved in and hit her square in the chest, stunning her. Before Elle could recover, Reynolds lunged for her and pinned her to the desk, trapping one arm underneath her and pulling away her other hand as she clawed at his eyes. He put all his weight onto her legs to hold them down as he snaked his free hand up to her throat, then slammed her head on the desk. Pain exploded, and in spite of her rage, in spite of her fear, she went limp. Reynolds brought his other hand down to her throat and squeezed.

Fresh panic cleared her vision, and Elle saw Reynolds leering down at her. "Pity I'll never have a taste," he whispered. He squeezed harder as he leaned close and pressed his lips against hers. She bit him, which only made him laugh. She tried to free her legs but her energy was seeping out as he continued to take her breath from her. Elisabeth tried with her free arm to pull Reynolds' hands from her throat but her one hundred and twenty pounds was no match for his two-hundred-plus frame. She turned and looked at Don one last time and saw the horror and anger in his eyes as he watched the life being snuffed out of her. She saw him struggle with the cuffs, trying to go to her. She even saw Coop try to stand but his blood loss had made him unsteady. She focused on Don's eyes once more and tried to tell him everything. Don faded from view as her vision grayed out. Her last thoughts were of Don and Maggie and how she would never see her daughter grow up to womanhood, and she would never be in Don's arms again.


	31. Chapter 51 & 52

Chapter 51

Don watched in horror as Elisabeth struggled to dislodge Reynolds. She gouged at him but her efforts were fruitless; she was becoming weaker by the second. Pound for pound Elisabeth was no match for Reynolds in her current position. She turned and met Don's eyes. He knew she was trying to tell him something but his vision was too cloudy. He locked eyes with her as she lost her battle to stay conscious. Her hands went limp and fell to her sides. As Elisabeth's struggles ceased, her body slumped off the table and fell to the floor. Don screamed her name as if saying it would revive her. Reynolds flipped a short-lived, triumphant grin to Don when, with a loud screech, a silver sedan crashed through the window and slammed into him. The sedan kept moving as it pinned the ex-op to the wall. With one last groan Reynolds slumped into death. The car stopped mere feet from Don and Coop. Don watched Charlie jump out of the driver's seat and run to his side.

At the same time Toro kicked the trunk open and jumped out. He looked wildly around and yelled, "Charlie, man, what the hell?" He spied Reynolds' still form and went to secure the body.

Charlie knelt by Don's side. "Oh, god, Don. What happened?"

Don tried to blink back tears. "Charlie? What are you…?" He couldn't finish the sentence.

Charlie saw a cuff key on the ground. He snatched it up and started to free his brother. "Elle didn't want me to come but I insisted," he replied. He stopped speaking as he followed Don's eyes to Elisabeth's limp form. A sob escaped his lips as he saw his friend and Don's fiancé staring lifelessly in Don's direction.

"Charlie, help me to her, please." Don summoned as much strength as he could muster and with Charlie's helped limped over to Elisabeth.

Don sank to his knees and reached out to take her hand.

Charlie put his arm around his brother to try to offer some amount of comfort. Coop hobbled over to Don and Charlie, the pain contorting his face mirroring Don's.

Coop collapsed in a heap near them, grabbed Charlie's arm and barked, "Check her pulse."

Charlie quickly scrambled over to Elisabeth's side and touched her neck to check for a pulse. Dark purple bruises were starting to form where Reynolds had tried to choke the life out of her. Charlie started to shake his head. "Don, I don't feel--" But within a heart beat he said excitedly, "I feel a pulse! It's weak but it's there."

A new wave of pain descended upon him. Don said, "Not breathing…need to give her mouth to mouth"

Charlie said, "I'll do it." He knelt over Elisabeth and puffed breaths in her mouth.

Don watched Charlie breath air into Elisabeth's mouth. He watched her chest rise and fall but nothing happened. "Keep trying," he said, blinking back new tears.

Charlie nodded. After he breathed into her two more times Elisabeth sputtered awake. Her hands went immediately to her throat, and she winced in pain as she tried to swallow. Her breathing was ragged and it looked like it pained her to draw each breath in.

Don watched as her eyes came back into focus. He gathered her up in his arms and held her as she regained consciousness. She turned her head to look at Don but her gaze didn't fall upon him. It focused on the ceiling, her eyes opened wide as she tried to talk.

Toro barked out a command as he walked quickly over. "Keep her still. She could have a damaged trachea." He knelt by his friend and gently touched her neck to make sure there were no injuries other than the livid bruises. "Don't try to talk," he said. "We need to get your throat checked out."

She shook her head and pointed to the ceiling and mouthed the word _bomb_.

All four men's eyes followed to where Elisabeth pointed. On the ceiling was affixed a C4 bomb enough to blow up at least a five-story building. Charlie read the timer and gasped. "One minute and three seconds. We've got to get out of here."

Toro spoke quickly. "Charlie, help your brother to the backseat of the car. Coop can you make it on your own?" Not waiting for a response he quickly scooped Elisabeth up and placed her in the car. He jumped into the driver's side and started the engine. Charlie had gotten Don into the car, leaning him against Elisabeth, then quickly got into the passenger side, while Coop slid in on the other side of Elisabeth. Toro put the car in drive and stepped on the gas as hard as possible.

Charlie looked up at the timer one last time when it read eight seconds. He gasped, "We're not gonna make it."

Chapter 52

Toro stepped on the accelerator as the car flew through the air from the force of the explosion. The force of the blast propelled its occupants forward. The driver and passenger air bags deployed, knocking the wind out of Charlie and Toro. The three occupants in the rear slammed against the back of the front seats. Toro pushed the airbag out of his way and drove at least five hundred feet from the burning house. He put the car in park and took stock, "Everyone ok?"

Charlie pushed back the airbag and said, "Yeah, all in one piece but I bit my lip." He turned around to check on his brother, Elle and Coop. The three in the back looked a bit dazed but thankfully they were ok. Charlie noticed Elle was stroking Don's face. She pushed Coop's arm, and signed a message to him. He nodded and translated to Charlie and Toro.

"She wants us to get Don to a hospital."

Charlie looked in the back and saw Elle trying to comfort Don. He was staring at her face as if he believed that she was dead. His hands kept touching her face as if he was reassuring himself that she was indeed there. She kept trying to give him reassuring looks as she cradled him on her lap, but her own physical pain was starting to overwhelm her. Her eyes met Charlie's; they were red and tear-stained. Charlie had never seen her eyes look as scared as they did now. It gave him chills that this woman who usually masked her emotions with such intensity looked like she would break any second.

Toro nodded, "Charlie, take my phone and use the mobile web to locate the closest hospital; when you're done call Don's team to give them the run down."

Elisabeth signed another message to Coop her eyes pleading to him. "Don, stay awake; we'll be at a hospital before you know it. Come on buddy, stay awake for us."

"Don, talk to me; tell me again what you told me you taught Maggie to do that Elle hates." Coop asked.

Don's eyes focused at the mention of his daughter's name. He mumbled, "Blow bubbles. Taught her to blow bubbles."

Charlie gave the directions for the hospital to Toro. While dialing Megan he said, "Yeah, tell Coop about the time she did that while Elle was feeding her."

Don tried to smile. "Made mess."

Coop gave a small chuckle. "I'm sure Elle loved that. How mad did she get?"

"Real mad...especially when I laughed," Don tiredly said.

Coop prompted, "Laughed? Why did you laugh?"

"Stuck--in her hair." He looked up into Elle's face and tried to give her a smile. "...made me finish--feeding her." He licked his lips and tried to keep his eyes open, "Got in my hair too."

"Yeah, that's funny. Tell me something else?"

"Tired," he mumbled.

Coop's voice was strained and his weariness was beginning to show. "Yeah, man we're all tired, but we need you to stay awake. Charlie! ETA?"

"If Toro continues to go at this speed about seven minutes," Charlie replied.

"See, not long at all." Coop said. "So go ahead, tell me something. Does she have teeth yet?"

"Yeah. One," Don wearily said.

Coop whistled. "Wow, a tooth."

"New one coming," Don said slowly. His speech was getting slurred. "Sometimes she bites 'lis-beth."

"Uh, yeah, thanks for sharing that bit of information with us, Don." Charlie said.

Elisabeth flushed a little when he said that. She put a finger to Don's lips. He managed a lopsided grin. "Too much?"

Elisabeth gave him a small smile and nodded. He mumbled, "Sorry." He took a breath. "You ok?"

She mouthed the word _fine_. He closed his eyes and opened them again. "Lie."

She shook her head and leaned down to kiss him.

Don touched her face as she leaned down to him. He wiped fresh tears from her eyes. "Going to be--be fine now; get Megan?"

Charlie turned his head to the backseat, "Yeah, Don. They're sending a team out to the house. Your team will join us at the hospital. Megan said she would pick up Dad and Maggie."

He summoned more strength. "Good. Coop, you holding up?"

"Fine, Don," Coop answered. "Good news. We're here."

Charlie hopped out of the car and ran into the hospital. A minute or two later a few nurses and doctors ran out to help bring Don, Coop and Elisabeth inside to get medical care.

(-----------------------------------------)

"Ms Grier? You really should get checked out," said a nurse in pink scrubs.

Elisabeth shook her head and took out the tablet that she was given to communicate with. She jotted down a message. _"I'm fine. I will stay with Agent Eppes."_

The nurse shook her head, "Ms Grier, you're obviously not ok by the bruising on your neck. Your left arm looks like it could be sprained, and I bet you have at least one broken finger. Agent Eppes is stable at this time. His CT scan came back fine. I'll only be a call away if he needs something. You won't be gone very long and can rejoin him after you're done."

Elisabeth shook her head vehemently.

The nurse sighed and started to leave when Don spoke. "Nurse, please wait; Elisabeth, go with her. Let them check you out." He looked into her eyes and saw she was going to say no when he said, "For me?"

She gave one last look to Don as she let the nurse lead her from the room.

Don stared at the ceiling and tried to process everything that happened. He scrubbed his face with his hands. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Elisabeth struggle for her life and then die. But no, she didn't die; she was up walking around being as stubborn as ever. It was surreal. The doctor told him that he could sleep now if he wanted since there was no swelling. But he was afraid that if he closed his eyes he would find himself back at the house and Elisabeth would still be dead. He heard a knock at the door. He looked over and saw Charlie and his dad holding Maggie. Maggie's eyes were unfocused and she looked crabby, like she just woken up from a nap.

Alan walked over to Don and gave him a worried look, "Don? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, dad, I'm ok. It's not as bad as it looks."

Alan snorted. "Yeah, well you should see it from my side."

Charlie gave Don a grin. "You really do look like hell."

Don scowled back at Charlie. "Thanks Chuck. How's that bump on your head?"

Charlie waved off Don's comment and tickled Maggie's belly.

Don sighed. "They're going to admit me for the evening for observation. Here, let me have Maggie."

Alan slid Maggie down into Don's arms. "She's a bit crabby cause of that tooth," he said.

Don kissed Maggie on her forehead. "Say Pop, Pop, I'm not crabby."

Maggie, realizing she was with Don, started to babble away. He held the infant close and laid his head on hers. Maggie flailed around for something to grab. First she tried for the IV line in Don's arm then she started to pull his hair. He murmured to her to stop and dislodged her fingers from his hair. She squealed and blew bubbles.

"Do you want me to take her?" Alan asked.

"No. I'd like to hold her for a bit, Dad."

"What did the doctor say?" Alan asked as he handed the baby one of her rattles to try to occupy her.

Don kissed Maggie on her cheek, and then shook the toy in front of the baby's face. Maggie squealed and tried to grab the toy from him. Her babbling continued while she smiled at her father.

"I've got a mild concussion and then there are two lacerations."

Alan winced. "Two?"

Don looked up from playing with Maggie, "Yeah, two, but they're not deep. Only the one in my leg needed a couple of stitches. They're also giving me some IV fluids for precautionary measures. The doctor says they'll release me tomorrow and I can return to work maybe in a week or two. He said I should only be on desk duty for a couple of weeks at the most."

"Well, knowing you I have a feeling you'll push yourself back before that."

Before Don could retort, Alan asked, "Where's Elisabeth?"

Don looked up from his daughter. "She finally agreed to let the doctors examine her."

"Yeah? What convinced her? She threatened a nurse earlier who tried to get her to leave," Charlie smirked.

"She hurt badly?" Alan asked, worried. When Don didn't reply at first Alan asked, "Don?"

Charlie spoke quietly for Don, whose emotions were threatening to bubble over. "Yeah, she was hurt, pretty bad. She wasn't breathing; I had to give her mouth-to-mouth."

Alan's eyes opened up in horror as he touched Don's shoulder. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. He was about to say something when the nurse came in and inquired, "And who is this little angel?"

Don smiled at Maggie as he answered the nurse, "This is my daughter, Maggie."

Maggie held up the toy for the nurse to see and gave a big smile that said, "Look at me! I am the cutest thing ever!"

The nurse grinned. "She's absolutely beautiful. But one of your family members will have to take her for a few minutes. We're going to take you up to your room, Agent Eppes." She took the baby out of Don's arm and handed her to Alan. "He is going to be admitted to room 417. You can visit with him further there."

"Any word on Elisabeth Grier?" Don asked. "She's my fiancée."

The nurse looked up as she was preparing the bed for transport. "She's still being examined by the doctor. I think they want to X-ray her throat to make sure she doesn't have a fractured larynx or any damaged to her trachea. But I'll have someone inform her of your location if you want?"

"Do you think they will have to admit her too?" Alan asked.

"I really don't know, but I did see some of her injuries and I wouldn't be surprised if they do admit her, too," the nurse said.

"We'll see you upstairs." Charlie gave his brother a reassuring smile.

Don nodded and watched them leave the room. He waved to Maggie as she watched him from over Alan's shoulder.

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Don awoke to find that the pain in his head was now a dull thud. Whatever painkillers they'd given him worked really well. Most of the room's lights were out except for the one over the bed. Elisabeth had pulled a chair up to the bed and was holding his hand. She had fallen asleep with her head was resting on the side of the bed; her hair was loose and fell like a curtain over her face. He pushed back a few strands so he could see her face. He could see that under her right eye was a butterfly bandage. He ran his hand down her face to touch her lips, and felt a fresh wave of anguish come over him as he took in the sight of her face again. He looked up at the ceiling, his brain still processing the fact that she was indeed alive. He turned to her again, and saw that she had awakened and was staring intently at him, searching the depths of his eyes. The intensity of her gaze caught him off guard, but he recovered quickly to ask a question.

"Elisabeth, shouldn't you be resting or something?"

She shook her head and pressed his hand to her face.

He sighed. "Elisabeth, I know some sign language if you want to tell me why you are not in a hospital bed sleeping. Just sign slow. I can't read it as fast as Coop does."

She gave him a puzzled look and signed, "_Sign language_?"

He wearily replied, "Yeah, but I could ask you the same question."

"_A girl in high school taught me and a few other people_." She answered; "Y_ou_?"

"A girl I dated in college. She had over a 70 hearing loss."

Don saw a small look of jealousy pass over her face, but then she shrugged as she nuzzled his hand closer to her cheek. He asked, "What did the doctor say?"

_"Two broken fingers and a bruised throat, and I shouldn't talk for a few days. And my blood work is out of whack so I'm tired. _

"So tell me, why are you sitting here in a chair instead of in a bed?"

She slowly signed, "_I couldn't sleep without you next to me_."

"By the way you were acting the other night you wouldn't think that was case," he retorted.

He watched as her eyes widened, sending her hands into an agitated frenzy trying to explain her actions to him.

"Elisabeth, you're signing way too fast. I'm too tired to figure it out." He put his hands over hers to make her stop. "This is neither the place nor time to discuss this right now. Did my dad bring Maggie to see you?"

She nodded her head, yes.

"Did he tell you that he wants us to stay with him and Charlie so he can help us with Maggie while we recover?"

She nodded then started to sign, "_Don, I am so sorry. I was only trying_--"

"No, Elizabeth, no apologies. I don't want to hear it, not now. You have no idea what this whole thing has done to me." He choked as his breath caught in his throat. Looking away, he took a moment to compose himself. Gathering his resolve, he turned to her again. "I'm not talking about this right now. What I want is for you to go back to your bed and sleep. You'll have a tough time as it is taking care of Maggie and I can't be worried that you're not up to it while I'm out of commission. So please, just go."

Her lips parted as if she was going to say something, but instead she leaped off his bed and dashed from the room with a small sob. Don watched sadly as the door closed on Elizabeth's retreating form. He lay back and swiped at his eyes. He was so tired and in more than just physical pain now. He looked at the door once more before closing his eyes and turning away. He needed to get it straight in his own head before he could begin to get his emotions under control. He needed to forget the look on her face when she died. He needed to forget the look on her face when she ran from him just now. He needed to forget, just for a while, what the outcome could have been. He needed to sleep.


	32. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Don stepped through the front door of his family home. Alan held the door open for him as he hobbled in on crutches. Behind him was Elisabeth, who held a sleeping Maggie, and Charlie, who was carrying some luggage. Alan closed the door behind them and said, "Charlie, you can take the bags up to my room. I figured Don and Elisabeth can stay there with Maggie since there is more room."

Don had gingerly settled himself on the couch. He looked up and said, "No, dad, that's okay. I'm gonna stay down here. Elisabeth will stay in my old room with the baby. Charlie, can you do me a favor and set the portable crib up in the room for her?"

Don met Elisabeth's eyes briefly before looking away. Wordlessly Elisabeth went upstairs, taking the baby with her.

Charlie watched her go upstairs. "Uh, okay, Don. If that's what you want," he replied. Charlie followed Elisabeth upstairs with their bags.

Alan shook his head and walked over to Don. "Don, I don't think this is the time for you to separate yourself from your fiancé and daughter. I think you both have to talk about what happened before it comes between you."

Don, who had closed his eyes, laid his head on the back of the couch. He turned to his father and said, "I can't right now, dad. I need more time."

Alan sat down next to Don. "Time is limited, son," he said. "Wasting it on whatever is not worth it." Alan stood up and left for the kitchen. "I'm gonna put some lunch together. Call me if you need anything."

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Charlie helped Elisabeth set up Don's old room; after laying the baby down Elisabeth wrote something on her pad of paper for Charlie to read.

Looking down, he read the note. _Thank you for everything, for coming with me even though I said no."_

He smiled. "You're welcome."

"And for saving me."

Charlie's face filled with emotion. "You're like a sister, Elle. I had too."

She gave him a smile back and wrote another message: _You did good Charlie._

Charlie met her eyes and said, "Are things gonna be ok with you and Don?"

He watched sadness pass through her eyes and after a minute she wrote, _I don't know Charlie. Gonna lay down, tired._

Charlie nodded. He started to leave the room when he turned and said, "I hope they will, Elle." He closed the door behind him.

Elisabeth sank down on the bed and whispered to no one, "So do I, so do I."

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The silence was deafening. It encompassed them entirely. Almost five days had passed since Elisabeth attempted to rescue Don and Coop. Five days since Don watched the life being choked out of her, five days since he begun to give her nothing more than one-word answers. Every time he looked at her he would see her struggling with Reynolds, then ultimately stop and fall lifeless to the ground. So he kept the distance between them physically and emotionally. He felt a complexity of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He felt anger over her betrayal, anger and despair from when he thought she was dead and anger that was starting to consume him that he had utterly failed her. So he spent his days sitting by himself at the koi pond or in the solarium. Sometimes he would take Maggie to sit with him, enjoying her babblings and her hair pulling antics. He would play with Maggie and tickle her; the baby's laughter drowning out the voices in his head.

His leg had healed enough that he didn't need the crutches. The bureau doctor had cleared him to return to desk duty the following Monday. Don's other injuries had faded. He felt almost physically like his old self. He still hadn't talked to Elisabeth. She stayed away from him as much as possible. He only saw her briefly when she would bring Maggie out to visit him or when she came to take her back; her face was a tight mask whenever she approached him. He saw it slip only once when he had been sitting by Maggie's crib watching her sleep. She had come into his old bedroom and had been startled to see him there. Her eyes had filled with tears and she quickly left the room before he saw them fall.

His dad had again tried to talk to him about the whole thing but he told him that he still wasn't ready. Even Charlie had tried to talk to Don about things, making Don snap back at him to mind his own business.

Today had started the same as the last five. He sat in the solarium with Maggie when she spit up. He hoisted the baby up on his hip and limped to his old bedroom to get a clean outfit for her and a burp cloth. He opened the door not realizing Elisabeth was in there getting dressed. She wore only matching panties and bra. She looked up at the door and grabbed her robe to cover herself but realizing that it was Don she stopped. He stood in the doorway and stared at her.

Elisabeth cleared her throat, her voice still raspy. "Don, either come in or not, but close the door."

Don nodded his head and stepped into the room. His eyes trailed up her body as he got a good look at the healing bruises on her. They were starting to fade a bit and were now edged in a sickly yellow. He hadn't seen the extent of her injuries, just the ones on her neck, which she kept hidden by high-necked blouses or scarves. He couldn't stop staring at all the bruises; there were bruises on her thighs, a couple on her abdomen and some near her hips from where Reynolds had pinned her beneath him. He felt the pain descend upon him again at having to see her lay motionless and dead. His breath caught in his chest at all the injuries that were on her body. He looked up into her eyes as tightness spread across his chest.

Elisabeth's eyebrows rose and she quickly went to his side. She took the baby from him and settled him on the edge of the bed. Elisabeth put the baby in her crib so her hands were free to check him over. She wordlessly laid a hand on his forehead; her expression becoming worried as she checked him for whatever ailed him. He mumbled, "Just came to change Maggie that's all."

Puzzled, Elisabeth cupped Don's face and raised his chin to look him in the eyes. "Don, are you ok?" she said.

"I didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

"The bruises are everywhere." He ran his fingertips over the hip bruises and up to the ones on her abdomen.

"Don, it's ok. They're fine. They're starting to heal and they really don't hurt. Not like the ones on my neck." She stopped talking when his eyes flicked with pain. "Don, I'm okay. I promise I'm fine. Even my fingers don't hurt as much."

Don put his face in his hands. She knelt in front on him and put her hands on his shoulders. They sat in silence for a while together. After a time Don took his hands from his face and pulled her close to him.

"Don, please you have to forgive me. I can't do this anymore," she whispered.

"Elisabeth, I have. I just….."

"Just what? Tell me. I will do anything to make your pain go away."

"I just can't forgive myself."

"Forgive yourself? What are you talking about?" she said as she stroked his face.

"I failed you and for that you almost died."

She shook her head. "Oh, baby, no. No. Listen, you didn't fail me. You tried to protect me. I'm the one who didn't listen."

"I should have listened to what you said," he said in a quiet voice. "If I had done that, this whole mess could have been avoided."

She sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Don, this is crazy. Listen, maybe you're right or wrong—it doesn't matter anymore. There is enough blame to pass around; from me to you and to the NSA for mismanaging this whole situation from the get-go. I can't stand watching you live in all this pain. But you have to stop living in it. You need to step out of it and come back to me. I need you so bad, so please don't push me away anymore."

"Elisabeth, please stand up, I want to see them."

"See what?"

"The bruises."

"Don, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please."

She reluctantly stood up. She stood in front of him, her arms down at her sides. He ran his hands over the bruises first starting at the ones on her thighs. His hands trailed up to the ones on her hips where he slid down the sides of her panties to be able to look at them better. After that he went to the ones that were on her abdomen, he stopped at her C-section and bullet wound scars. He traced the line of the c-section scar. "Not been a good year for me, huh?" she tried to joke.

Don's face contorted as he continued to inspect her injuries. She stopped his hands and whispered, "Enough. You act like I've never been hurt before. I'm sorry to have to say this, but I have. I've had more bruises than these when I was on a mission and more when I was training."

He snapped, "That doesn't really comfort me."

"Well, it's the truth. I've been in worse scrapes. I've been lucky all these years that I haven't been hurt worse. You never really know how the missions will turn out. You just do what you have to do."

He looked away from her.

"You're acting like this whole thing affects only you but it doesn't. Your dad and Charlie have been affected almost as much as you and me. If things had been worse or we didn't come out of it, how do you think they would feel? So stop wallowing in your own self-pity." She spoke in a gentler tone, "We're all in a lot of pain. Don, you don't have to face this on your own."

He stood up walked away. "I need to think." He closed the door behind him.

Elisabeth watched him go, feeling fresh tears form in her eyes. She turned her head; her eyes fell on Maggie who was sitting up in the crib watching her. "Oh, baby girl, I'm so sorry." She shook off the tears and threw on some clothes, picked up the baby and cuddled her close. "Ok, let's get you changed, and then we can go down stairs and have something to eat. What do you think about that?"

She kissed her daughter on the forehead as Maggie cooed in happiness.

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At three am Don heard the cries of his daughter, making him get up off the couch and limp up the stairs as quickly as he could. He saw his dad coming out of the bathroom with the baby fever reducer.

Rubbing his eyes, Don said, "Dad, what's going on?"

"Maggie's got a low grade fever." Alan replied. "She hasn't stopped crying for an hour now."

Don followed his dad into the bedroom where Elle was holding Maggie, trying to calm her. Maggie was sobbing so hard she had hiccups. Elisabeth was trying to whisper soothing words to the baby but Maggie couldn't hear her over her own cries.

Alan walked over and held the dropper with the dosage out. "Elisabeth, turn her towards me so I can give this to her," he said kindly. Elisabeth did as Alan asked, helping him give the dose of fever reducer to the baby. Most of it got in her mouth but one or two drops dribbled down her chin. Alan took the rag on Elisabeth's shoulder and wiped away the medicine. "Elisabeth, let me take the baby for a while."

"No Alan, I'm her mother I should be able to calm her."

"Yes, and usually you can but you can hardly talk," Alan tenderly said. "You're working yourself into a frenzy. Let me have her so you can rest." He gently took the baby out of Elisabeth's arms and turned to his son. "Don, why don't you get Elisabeth a glass of water?"

Don nodded and went to get the water. When he came back Elisabeth was sitting on the bed.

"I'm gonna go downstairs with Maggie and see if I calm her down," Alan said. He closed the door as he left.

Don went and sat down next to Elisabeth. He offered her the water but she shook her head. He put the water on the nightstand and then put his arm around her. "Calm down, Elisabeth," he murmured. "Maggie will be fine."

She shook her head. Her voiced cracked with emotion. "I am such a bad mother."

Don said sharply, "What? You're not a bad mother—you're a wonderful mother. You take great care of her."

"But she needs me now."

"It's okay. Dad's got her and he'll calm her down. He paused. "Elisabeth, you're exhausted. Maybe you should try to get some sleep. I'm afraid that you're going make yourself ill."

Her voice barely audible, she said, "Don, I haven't slept in days. I can't do this anymore. You have to let go of whatever if eating at you. I can't stand the distance that is between us anymore. It hurts too much. Please, try to work this out with me."

Don looked hard at Elisabeth. Her face was filled with such anguish that he felt the wall he had built split down the middle. In one swift motion Don pulled Elisabeth close to him and held her tightly. The pain started to unravel; he felt it ebb away as he gave comfort to Elisabeth. These last few weeks he had been blind to everyone else's pain except for his own. Elisabeth was right. He was wallowing in self-pity. Don scowled at himself for how he had acted. He didn't have to suffer alone or detach himself from his family. He was needed and he decided that his self-made exile was at an end.

"Come on, let's get you into bed," he said gently.

"Hmm, yeah, all right." She stood up and let Don pull the covers back for her on the bed. She slid in and turned to him. She asked tentatively, "Will you stay?"

"Yes, I can, I mean if you want me to."

"Please." She slid to the edge of the bed and lay on her side. Don got in next to her and spooned up behind her. He draped one arm over her and pulled her close to him. He snuggled in even closer to her as she did the same.

Determined to set things right he said, "We still need to fix this and I can't do it alone."

"You shouldn't have to."

"We have a long road ahead of us but we need to get it together. If not for us then for our daughter; she deserves to have us at least try to build a future together. It's time we finalize our wedding plans. I think we need to concentrate on the good stuff and not the bad. We need this, we deserve it, and we've been through too much to let it fall apart now."

He heard her take a sharp breath. She rolled over so she was facing him. "I didn't think you would still want to marry me after all of this."

"I still do. Don't you?"

"Yes, of course."

Don asked, hurt in his voice,"Why would you think that I would change my mind about that?".

Her voice was small as she replied, "Because all I do is cause you pain and if our not staying together would make you happier then I am willing to do that. I only want you to be happy not miserable with having to be tied down to me."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "So you would be willing to let me go because you think that would make me happy?"

Elisabeth choked as she said, "Yes."

"Being without you makes me miserable and you have given me so much happiness over this last year that I count myself lucky. You gave me one of the best gifts of all; our daughter. So, yes, I still want to marry you, I want nothing more than to be with you. These last few days have shown me that I need to have you in my life but I could go on without you, if I had to." He paused when his voice cracked. "But the pain of your loss would haunt me forever. We still need to talk about a lot of things and it won't be pretty but I think we can make it work. We're both too stubborn to give up this easily.

She tried not to grin as she said, "Speak for yourself. I'm not stubborn."

Don snorted. "Yeah ok, you're not stubborn and I'm not obstinate."

She snuggled in closer as she said, "I really do love you."

"I know you do." He captured her lips for a kiss before replying back, "And I love you too."

She kissed him back. He moved on top of her. Their hands started to touch each other as their kisses became more passionate.

Elisabeth was kissing Don's ear. He let out a groan and said, "I think we need to stop. My dad could walk in at any moment."

He heard her murmur against his ear, "You're such a tease."

He let out a little laugh as he moved back to her side. "Yeah, that's me."

She reluctantly stopped and settled in closer to sleep. "I think it's time for us to go home."

He kissed her on the forehead and replied, "Yes, I think later on today we should." He snuggled in closer and for the first time in days he truly welcomed sleep.

999999999999999 55555555555555555555555 999999999999999999999999

Alan stepped in the room over a half hour later with a sleeping baby in his arms. He smiled as he saw his son and Elisabeth curled up with each other sleeping. He kissed his granddaughter on the forehead and whispered to her as he laid her in the crib. "Good news. Looks like your mommy and daddy are on their way to mending things." He settled the blankets over them and took one final glimpse before turning out the light, then padded back to his own bedroom, knowing that things were finally as they should be.


	33. Chapter 54

and yes sappy goodness proceeds

Chapter 54

Charlie tapped on the outside of Don's childhood bedroom door, announcing his presence to his soon-to-be sister-in-law, Elisabeth, who was getting his six-month-old niece, Maggie, ready for bed. "I just wanted to tell you that we're heading out now."

"Okay, then. Please don't destroy my house."

"We won't." Charlie grinned as he drew an "x" over his heart. "Don asked me to tell you to meet him at the koi pond when you're done putting the baby down."

"Okay…tell him I'll be out in a few."

"So what do the girls have planned for you?"

Elisabeth laughed. "I really don't know but I'm sure it will be a lot less crazy then what you have planned for your brother."

"Don't worry, Elisabeth. We'll be on our best behavior."

"Uh huh. Just pass this message on to the other gentlemen. If my future husband does not show up or he shows up with a horrible hangover tomorrow, I, as the future wife, will be very angry. You won't like me when I'm very angry."

Charlie smirked as he left the room. "I'll pass the message on."

A few minutes later Elisabeth made her way downstairs to see Amita and her friend Susan peeking at a box that was marked "Adults Only." Both women looked at her and giggled. She shook her head at them and wondered what other "fun" things they had in mind for her. On the way out to the backyard, she met Megan, who was uncorking a bottle of wine. Elisabeth said to Megan, "I'm going to meet Don out back for a few before he heads back to the house."

"Okay." The doorbell rang. "We'll try not to start without you," Megan added.

Elisabeth replied dryly, "Thanks. Try to save me some wine." She glanced down at the large bottle in Megan's hands.

"That I don't promise."

Elisabeth laughed as she went out back to meet Don.

Don saw Elisabeth step out the back door. He felt butterflies start to swirl in his gut as she walked over. He reached out to touch the side of her face. "Hey."

She gave him a small grin. "Hey yourself."

"Maggie all tucked in?"

"Yup. She pretty much conked right out as soon as her head hit the pillow."

"Yeah, she had a pretty full day." He put his arm around her. "We all had a full day."

"And another big one tomorrow."

He nodded. "The biggest."

Elisabeth hesitantly asked, "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Don heard the uncertainty in her voice and turned to face her. "Definitely. Tomorrow can't come fast enough. I can't wait to stand up in front of our family and friends and show them all how much we love each other."

Elisabeth grinned. "You never cease to amaze me with your words and actions. I can't wait either."

Don returned her grin with a kiss. "I'm gonna miss not having you beside me tonight in our bed."

"I'm gonna miss you, too. You know I never sleep well when you're not next to me."

"Yeah, I know." He paused. "I asked you to meet me out here because I wanted to give you something special. I hope you like it." He handed her a burgundy velvet box.

"I'm sure I will love it." She kissed him gently on the lips as she opened the box. Inside was a pair of garnet earrings with a tear-shaped pearl dangling from each.

He said quietly, "I was hoping you would wear them tomorrow but you don't have to. I'm sure you already picked out earrings to wear."

"Oh, I most certainly will wear them. They're absolutely perfect. I love them." She reached into her sweater pocket. "I have something for you, too."

She handed him a small black pouch. "You know I was having a tough time deciding on what to get you as a wedding gift. I wanted to get you something special. Something that truly shows you how much I love you."

"I am sure whatever you chose will be wonderful." He gave her a smile as he opened the laces to the pouch and emptied the contents in to his palm. Don stared at the small object in his palm, unsure of what to say. He looked up into her eyes and murmured, "Elisabeth, are you sure you want me to have this? I know how much your dad's signet ring means to you."

"Yes, I am. I want you to have it. It would mean so much to see you wearing it." She took it out of his palm and helped him slip it onto his right hand. "I've worn this ring since his death and now, giving you this symbolizes that you are part of my family as I become part of yours."

Don felt his heart swell as he pulled her in for a long kiss, showing her how much he loved her.

Elisabeth wrapped her arms tightly around Don, leaning in closer as their kisses continued. Don began to nuzzled Elisabeth's neck, eliciting soft sighs. "Mmm, Don. You have to stop. Mmmm...I don't think me having my way with you in the back yard would be appreciated by the neighbors."

Don murmured reluctantly, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I better get going before the guys get too rowdy without me."

Her eyes narrowed playfully. "I told Charlie to pass on a warning from me."

He chuckled. "I hope you didn't scare them have to death so they don't have any fun." He held out his arm. "Milady, shall I escort you to your soiree?" They walked around to the front of the house where Don opened the front door to the Craftsmen for Elisabeth. Inside Don spied a few of the ladies sitting in the living room drinking wine and giggling. He called out to them making them laugh harder, "Hey, ladies. Have fun and try not to let my future wife get too crazy."

Megan called out, "I am sure it's not us you have to worry about Don."

He laughed with them, spying some red boxes with black bows on them piled on the coffee table. "Do I even want to guess what's in those packages?"

Amita grinned evilly and replied, sending the women into renewed laughter, "Oh you'll find out soon enough."

Slightly embarrassed, he turned to say goodbye to Elisabeth. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away."

"Wild horses?" He arched his eyebrow. "I will see you tomorrow at eleven am sharp. Have a good time."

"I think we will." She pulled him closer to her so she could whisper into his ear, "You, too, and try to behave yourself."

He let out a short laugh. "I could tell you the same thing."

"Maybe."

He gave her an innocent smile. "Did they get you a stripper?"

Elisabeth pursed her lips together. "Do I look like the male stripper type?"

He laughed. "Guess not. I told the guys not to get me one either."

"Really? You mean you don't want some young, pretty, nubile girl shake her booty at you?"

He gave her a mischievous smile. "Now, why would I want that when I can get you to strip and let me see your wonderful body at any time I wish."

Smirking she replied, "Flattery will get you everywhere with me."

"I know." He gave her one last long kiss amidst the sounds of fake gagging and cat calls. He turned to the ladies and said, "You all are just jealous."

Elisabeth laughed. "Yeah, they all are. Women all over the LA area will be lamenting in joined sorrow as we say our vows, and probably cursing my name as well."

He winked. "You got it." He kissed her on the cheek and headed out to the car. As he drove away he knew that tomorrow was going to be the most special of his life right after the birth of his daughter.


	34. Chapter 55

_This is the last of the written chapters that have been redone, and then betaed. The last chapter for this story is being written now and will be about the fun at reception for all the wedding lovers out there. Thanks to sororcula for betaing this chapter since the lovely shaolingirl's schedule became to buzy._

Original poem A Lasting Love by Mary Edna Ryan

A half-hour before the ceremony was about to begin Elisabeth peeked out of the front curtains to watch the guests arriving. She caught glimpses of Megan welcoming guests and handing them programs as David and Colby seated them. She slid back the curtains and took another glance at her reflection in the mirror. She sighed as she smoothed out the front of her dress. The dress was satin with a chiffon overlay and embroidered lace. Throughout the dress was crystal beading and sequins. It was ivory with a dropped waistline and chapel train. She wore the lace net jacket covering her shoulders, giving the dress a vintage look. She had her dark hair pulled up in a loose chignon with a few spiral curls framing her oval face. She wore the garnet and pearl earrings that Don had given her the night before. On her right hand she wore her mother's sapphire ring that she had given her a few months before she died.

Elisabeth looked up when she heard a soft knock at the door. She called, "Come in."

Alan stepped in, dressed in a black suit with a garnet-colored tie that matched all the other men in the wedding party. He gave her a big smile, saying, "You look lovely, my dear."

Elisabeth grinned. "Thank you, Alan."

"You almost ready?"

"Yes, but my heart won't stop pounding."

"I can understand. I remember feeling nauseous on my wedding day, but I got through it."

She smiled. "How's the temperature shaping up down there?"

"Not too bad. Looks like the rain will hold off till you and Don are well off on your honeymoon."

She grimaced slightly. "I hope you're right." She looked in the mirror and adjusted her veil. "I wanted to thank you again for lending me Margaret's veil for today. It means a lot to me."

Alan's eyes turned momentarily moist. "Well, I'm sure she would have been thrilled with the whole idea that you wanted to wear it. Actually, I wanted to give you something." He cleared his throat and said, "Before Margaret's death we talked about some things. One of them was that she wanted me to give something from her to any future daughters-in-law should the boys ever get married." His lips curved upwards. "I bought her this on our tenth wedding anniversary and I would be honored if you would wear it."

Blinking back tears, Elisabeth answered, "I would be honored to wear it."

Alan tried to blink back his own tears as he fastened the strand of pearls around Elisabeth's wrist. "There, perfect."

She returned his smile with a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you again for everything." She added, "Dad."

"Welcome to the family." He kissed her on the forehead.

From the door, Charlie asked, "Hey, am I interrupting anything?"

"Nope, come on in," replied Elisabeth. "So is my groom here and in one piece?"

Charlie answered, "Define one piece." Seeing the look on Elisabeth's face, he put his palms up and said, "Just kidding. No, he's hiding out in the garage, looking at his watch every thirty seconds or so. He's been pacing for the last twenty minutes. He's a tad jumpy."

She arched an eyebrow. "Jumpy?"

"Yeah, he sent me up here to make sure you were still here and that you haven't changed your mind."

"Changed my mind? Why would he think that?"

"It's okay, dear, he's just nervous." Alan shook his head. "I guess I'll go and talk to the groom, try to calm him down. "

Elisabeth called to Alan as he left the room, "Tell Don that I haven't changed my mind. He ain't getting off that easy."

"You look really nice, I mean beautiful, Elle."

"Thanks Charlie. So I see a certain dark-haired nanny has arrived."

"Yeah?" He went and peeked out the curtains. He gave Elisabeth a goofy smile. "She looks pretty. I'm gonna go say hi to her before the ceremony starts."

"Okay, hey do me a fave, can you find Kathleen and ask her to bring Maggie here so we can dress her?"

"You got it." He said over his shoulder before leaving, "Hey, thanks again for inviting Jordan. It means a lot to her and she just loves weddings."

"No prob, Don and I like her." She watched him leave, almost knocking Amita down in the hallway. Startled, he said, "Sorry Amita." He gave her a squeeze on the shoulder and ran off to say hi to Jordan.

"No problem," Amita answered with a smile, she then stepped inside. "Well, I'll say it again, you look great."

"Thanks, you look lovely in that color."

Amita smoothed down the front of her bridesmaid gown. "I do love wearing red."

"I know a certain lawyer who would probably like you in red too."

"Elle," Amita scoffed, "Jason is just a friend."

"Uh huh, who happens to be your date today."

"Whatever."

Elisabeth laughed before she saw Kathleen at the door with a babbling Maggie in her arms. "Kathleen, great! Can you help me get her dressed?"

"Yeah, sure, Mrs. Eppes."

"Nope, not yet, it's still Ms. Grier for a few more minutes, but really you can call me Elisabeth if you're comfortable."

The teenager replied, "Okay, Ms., I mean Elisabeth."

"There's Mommy's sweet girl. You ready to get all perty?" Elisabeth talked to her daughter as she and the babysitter changed her into a white dress with red rose buds on the skirt. "Amita, can you grab that bag over there? It has a bow for her hair and little white dress shoes."

"Sure." Amita handed her the bag and helped get the baby's shoes on.

Maggie babbled happily and sucked on her hand as the women dressed her. She kept trying to pull at her mother's dress.

Elisabeth sighed, "Okay, the fun part, getting this bow in her hair." After struggling for a few minutes, between the three of them they got the hair bow in her hair with minimal fuss from the infant.

Kathleen exclaimed, "Oh, she looks so cute."

"This is true. I think she is going to steal the show and no one will be paying me any attention."

Amita laughed. "You may be right."

Alan poked his head in. "Ladies, we're about ready to start."

Elisabeth took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this shindig on the road."

Once downstairs, Elisabeth handed the baby to Charlie, who was going to walk up with her in his arms right before Elisabeth's friend Susan, who was acting as maid of honor.

/

Don stood up in front with a smile that lit up his face, under a floral trellis with the Justice of the Peace, Judge Joann Brenner, watching the procession come down the aisle. The sounds of Pachelbel's Canon in D filled the air as Colby escorted Mary Beth up the aisle, followed by David and Amita. Next Charlie walked, carrying Maggie as she cooed in delight at all the guests, before taking his place as Don's best man. He gave Don an awkward hug before handing Maggie to him. Don kissed his daughter as he shifted her in his arms, then saw the last attendant, Susan, arrive at the front. The music changed to the wedding march and the guests all stood, turning to watch for Elisabeth's entrance.

Don caught his first glimpse of Elisabeth and thought his heart would stop. She looked so lovely, it made him feel giddy. The smile on his face grew larger with each step she took, bringing her closer to him. He whispered to Maggie, "Look, it's Mommy."

Maggie let out a loud, "Babaabaaa."

Don continued to watch Elisabeth walk towards him on the arm of his dad. Alan had the biggest grin on his face and Elisabeth's face radiated love as she stared back at Don. Once at the front, Alan kissed Elisabeth and Don on their cheeks with tears in his eyes before taking a stand in front of his seat.

Don turned his eyes to Elisabeth. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before whispering in her ear, "I love you."

She mouthed the words, "I love you too," and took his free hand in one of hers.

"Good morning, family and friends. I'm Joann Brenner and I was honored when Don asked me to marry him and his fiancé today. They both wanted me to express their gratitude to you all for coming today as they stand up and commit themselves to each other for all eternity. Let's begin." She turned to the couple and asked, "Who gives away this man and woman in matrimony?"

Alan stood up and answered, "In honor of Elisabeth's parents Caroline and Jared Grier, and my wife Margaret Eppes, I do."

Joann started to continue with the ceremony when Maggie began to fidget in her father's arms and tried to pull on Elisabeth's veil, making the crowd laugh at her antics. Alan stood back up and took the infant in his arms so the ceremony could go on.

After the couple lit candles in memory of Elisabeth's parents and Margaret, Larry and Megan stood up to read a poem together that an Eppes family friend, Mary, had written for the occasion.

They made their way to the front and took each other's hands. Megan, clad in a topaz-colored dress, stood next to Larry, who was dressed in a gray suit. The couple radiated love for one another as they read the following poem.

_These words I say  
these vows I take  
As on this day  
A union we make  
Through it all  
You're by my side  
My love for you  
I will never hide  
A lasting love  
I've found in you  
And I am yours  
Forever true_

Don squeezed Elisabeth's hand as he listened to his two close friends speak. When they were finished, he looked back into Elisabeth's eyes as they were instructed to take each other's hands and recite their vows.

Joann said gently to the couple, "Elisabeth, would you take both of Don's hands and face him? Please repeat after me."

He could see her blink back tears as she repeated the vowes in a shakey voice:

"I, Elisabeth,  
Take you, Don,  
To be my husband;  
To have and to hold,  
From this day forward,  
For better, for worse,  
For richer, for poorer,  
In sickness and in health,  
To love and to cherish,  
As long as we both shall live."

"Now Don, please repeat after me."

Don also felt his eyes become slightly moist. He cleared his throat and repeated his vows:

"I, Don,  
Take you, Elisabeth,  
To be my wife;  
To have and to hold,  
From this day forward,  
For better, for worse,  
For richer, for poorer,  
In sickness and in health,  
To love and to cherish,  
As long as we both shall live."

Joann smiled warmly at the couple. "We will now have the exchanging of rings as a symbol of Don and Elisabeth's commitment. Elisabeth, place this ring on Don's finger and repeat after me. 'I offer this ring as a token of our love And with it I join my life to yours.'"

Don felt the ring slide down his finger. His hands shook when he turned to Charlie for Elisabeth's band. He placed the ring of her finger and repeated the words of the judge. "I offer this ring as a token of our love And with it I join my life to yours."

With a large smile, Joann proclaimed, "By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Don leaned in and kissed Elisabeth gently, before catching her off guard and dipping her back, earning him hoots of joy from the guests.

Joann laughed, "I now have the honor to present Mr. and Mrs. Don Eppes."

Don and Elisabeth made their way down the aisle amidst the sounds of applause, when Don whooped out, "Now let's party!"


	35. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Charlie stood and clinked his knife on the champagne flute, gaining him everyone's attention. He cleared his throat and smiled. "Today we are here to celebrate the marriage of my brother Don, and Elisabeth. I wanted to take this opportunity to say a few things, maybe tell a few embarrassing stories about Don growing up."

Don interrupted amongst the sounds of the guests laughing. "Hey, watch it!"

Charlie smirked and continued, "But I decided not to do that. I just wanted to say that I have never seen my brother as happy as he is now. And no one deserves to be happy more than my brother. Elisabeth, Elle my friend, I want to welcome you to our family. You make Don so happy, it's so evident in how he looks at you. You keep him on his toes and no one has ever been a better match for him. I just ask that you take care of my brother and continue to love him like I know you do."

Charlie paused and turned to gaze at his brother. "Don, no one could have a better big brother than you. For years there was this chasm between us that I thought would never close, but I think Eppes determination pushed us through making us as we are now. Today I have the honor of saying that Don is not only my brother. but my best friend. He is an exceptional man that the world is so much better for. I want to wish you only the best in your future and may you two have never ending happiness." He held his glass higher and took in the beaming faces of Don, his Dad, and Elisabeth and said, "to Don and Elisabeth."

"To Don and Elisabeth," answered the guests with their glasses held high.

,

People laughed and sipped cocktails as they watched the happy couple glide around the dance floor as husband and wife. The dance floor was centered under a white tent in the Craftsman's back yard, with a dozen round tables outlining it. Alan had had lights woven into the ceiling of the tent, and bunches of flowers placed on every table.

Don felt Elisabeth's warm breath on his neck, her arm around his neck and her hand in his. His other hand rested on the small of her back, as he nuzzled against her ear. He felt her sigh, making him look at her face, which held a serene smile. He asked, "Happy?"

"Like I never imagined," she replied.

"Good," he answered, pulling her closer and letting the world fall away. Don relished this moment, not wanting it to end; it had truly been a perfect day. He whispered into her ear, "How much longer 'till we're alone?"

"Mmmm, not soon enough."

Don chuckled. "I guess we need to stay 'till after the cake is served."

She replied dramatically, "Oh I guess, if we must." She placed both of her hands around his neck and smiled at him. "Today has been so amazing. Your Dad out did himself."

"He did, that he did." He looked over and saw the babysitter Kathleen holding a sleepy eyed Maggie in her arms. "I see someone is up from her nap."

Elisabeth turned her head. "Maggie has been a real trooper today."

"Yeah," Don answered as the last notes of the song played out. He took Elisabeth's hand and walked over to join Kathleen and the baby.

Elisabeth cooed, "There's Mommy's girl. Come here." She put out her arms to take the baby.

"Are you sure, Mrs. Eppes?"

"Oh yeah, no worries," she answered as she draped a burp cloth on her shoulder then took the baby. "Hi there, Sweetie."

"Kathleen, why don't you go grab something to eat, we'll take the baby for a bit," Don said.

"Ohh, thanks," the young woman replied before scurrying off to the buffet tables.

"Hey there pretty girl," Don said to the baby. He kissed her forehead then leaned over to kiss Elisabeth's cheek.

"Ah, there's the happy couple," Colby said as he sauntered over. "Man, does your Dad know how to throw a party."

"That he does."

Colby grinned. "I just wanted to say again, congratulations and best wishes."

"Aww, thanks Colby that's sweet," Elisabeth replied. "We're both glad you could make it today."

"So uh, your bridesmaid Susan, she single?"

Don and Elisabeth exchanged a glance. Don replied, "I believe she is."

"Oh good, good. I think I'll ask her to dance," he said with a slow smile forming on his lips. "I'll catch you later." He then made a beeline over to where the red-headed bridesmaid was standing.

Elisabeth's voice was amused when she said, "She's gonna eat him alive."

Don laughed as they headed back out to the dance floor. Don took the baby into his arms and pulled his wife in close. They glided around the dance floor and posed for photographs from friends and photographer alike.

The cake was served, the bouquet was thrown, and caught by Claudia Gomez much to David's chagrin, and the final guests made their goodbyes. Don and Elisabeth were now set up in the bridal suite of the Biltmore hotel for the next three days, their wedding gift from Charlie. Don poured himself a drink from the mini bar and a club soda for Elisabeth while he waited for his wife to settle their child down in the adjoining room. She came into the room and flicked on the baby monitor, then joined Don, who was wearing black silk pajamas, by the balcony.

She had changed into a cream-colored peignoir set and had taken her hair down to rest on her shoulders. He gave her a warm smile and handed her the glass of club soda. She took it, returning his smile.

"A toast to us," she said.

Don nodded and smiled. "To us."

"So what time is your dad picking up Maggie tomorrow morning?"

"He said he would be by at 10 AM and would keep her 'till 7ish or so."

She purred suggestively making him grin. "Purrrfect."

He took the glass from her hand placing it on a nearby table and put his own drink down beside it. He leaned down to kiss her lips, then he stood back and undid the tie of her robe, which he then slid over her shoulders. "You look beautiful." He kissed her again then led her to the bed. "Let's go to bed, Mrs. Eppes."

She pulled him onto the bed beside her and whispered in reply, "There's nothing I'd like more, Mr. Eppes."

A couple of hours later, the happy couple were under the covers, Elisabeth's nude body snuggled against Don's chest. Don played with the soft strands of her hair while he listened to the sounds of her breathing. He finally closed his eyes and let himself drift off into a peaceful sleep, while thinking of all the events of that happened that day.


	36. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

Don's life had change so much in the last five years. He had come back to California to be with his mother in her final days, to begin the long road of healing with his brother, and to strengthen his relationship with his Dad. Along the way he'd met a woman who had been in a dark place, like himself, but he'd helped her rediscover herself. And in turn had saved not only her, but himself as well. He'd taught this woman how to love as he too learned how to love again. Their road had been a hard one, but they had become stronger for it. And if that hadn't been enough, Don had been gifted with his greatest achievements, the birth of their daughter, that fulfilled Don like he could never have imagined.

Now Don had a second child on the way, and his brother had found true love and started his own family. His father now had the grandkids he'd always wanted, spoiling them and indulging their every whim. Alan had also changed over the last few years, going back to college and joining a think tank with Charlie.

Don flipped through his and Elisabeth's wedding album, reliving those moments from two years ago.

He stopped at a photo of his Dad, Charlie and him from that day and smiled.

The Eppes men were together and that's how is should be. He knew his mother would be happy over all of this, and part of Don knew she was watching them all smiling.

The Eppes family was happy, again.

+________________________________________________________________________+

_Final Author Notes:_

_Wow! This has been a long long journey for me. I started to write this back in May '06 and over the next 3 months churned out over 50 chapters. The last 6 took me almost 2 years to write cause themuse was fickle. I then made it my goal to rewrite the story in the sense of tightening up the dialogue and plot along with having someone with better grammar glasses (than I) look at this peice. I'd like to thank shaolingrl, sororcula, bubbleslayer and mercilynn who took that endeavor and helped me with this. I'd also like to thank timespirt who through many emails helped me talk out some things and work out ideas. Thank you ladies, you all are wonderful._

_So, 56 chapters and 80K+ words later, I am now finished. YAY!!!1 *does dance of joy*_

_I want to say a special thank you to the many people who read and also left me feedback. It was a pleasure writing this story and I am so glad many of you were entertained. _

_Thank you again!_


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